What If We Don't Graduate?
by TempestDash
Summary: Remember when Ron saved the Earth in the last episode of Kim Possible? Things go differently here. VERY differently. Lorwardia takes the place of the Turians in the First Contact War and Earth ends up with an unlikely ally.
1. Chapter 1: Refugee Status

*** [KP/ME]

The large green Lorwardian soldier Warmonga dusted her hands off with a smirk and derisively kicked the prone form of the blonde teenaged boy lying at her feet. She reached down to help her battlemate Warhok back to his feet and the latter soldier picked up the boy and threw him into the crowd of freaks and children that had gathered. The insufferable self-styled 'hero', Kim Possible, leaped up and grabbed the body before it could land but then she too fell to her bruised knees from the effort.

While the loss of their warship and ground support units in Middleton was aggravating, there were plenty of remaining walkers around the rest of the world, and once they had established undisputed dominance of the planet, they could call for troop support to replace the lost vessel. More importantly, they had routed the last visible sign of the city's resistance force: the childish Team Possible and the fake Great Blue.

"We will give you one last opportunity to surrender before we sunder you all!" shouted Warmonga proudly to the small crowd of resistance fighters.

The people stared back, sweeping their gaze from Kim Possible – who was shaking the boy who had tried to attack them with some strange biotic-empowered martial art – and then back again to meet her powerful gaze. Almost together, the collected rebellion lowered their shoulders in defeat. Yes! They had won!

"Yeah, I... don't think we're going to do that," rose a high pitched, snarky, and _unfortunately_ familiar voice from within the crowd. Warmonga narrowed her eyes to find the source.

The people parted as Shego walked forward, covered in bruises, but brazenly walking tall. She walked up next to Kim Possible and put her hands on her hips. Then she shrugged. "But, you know, the better part of valor, and all." Then she rose a hand that glowed brightly green with crackling plasma and flung it into the ground kicking up a huge cloud of dust and throwing dirt and rocks everywhere.

"Insolence!" screamed Warmonga as she raised her spear high and ran into the cloud to impale the infuriating resister.

But when she emerged from the other side of the crowd, Shego, Kim Possible, the boy, and the crowd were gone. She growled loudly in fury.

*** [ KP / ME ]

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

*** [ KP / ME ]

**Chapter 1: Refugee Status**

"No time to lick your wounds, Princess," said Shego urgently. "We need to mount a new offensive."

Kim Possible looked around the ruins of the high school's gym, now filled with a few huddling refugees from the Lorwardian invasion, and had the indignity to look defeated back at Shego.

"With _what_?" she said.

"What do you mean, 'with what?'" scoffed Shego. "With the might of just you and me if that's all we can get, but I'm hoping for more!"

"Well, that worked so well last time," Kim said sarcastically, then turned her attention to Ron Stoppable, still unconscious and laying on her lap. She was stroking his brow gently and listening to his labored breathing.

"Don't be so dour, Drakken's little daisy-act was a crippling blow," Shego said making a fist.

Drakken, sitting on the bleachers pruning the bouquet of flowers growing out of his collar, groaned. "I'm all out of my formula, it will take me time to make more." He had been visibly depressed ever since his plan to _save_ the world met the same success as his plans to conquer it.

"And they've already started recovering," said Kim. "Those legged tanks cover the country and who knows how many more fell from their warship!"

"Then we'll destroy those too," said Shego. "We can't give up. What kind of loser cheerleader are you?"

"Didn't you see what they did to Ron?" Kim shouted, pointing at her boyfriend.

"Please. Since when are you so helpless that you're looking to a _boy_ for help," said Shego. She stepped close to her rival and bent down to speak softer. "You and I have always been the grander act of our pairs. Let's get out there and take care of business."

Kim looked at her with disbelief. "Once again, your ego is getting you into fights you can't win."

"Hah! Takes one to know one, _hero_."

Kim scowled back.

"Uh, girls," came a stern voice. Mrs. Dr. Possible was walking up in a slightly scuffed labcoat. "I hate to team up on you, but she's right, Kimmiecub. We can't lay down now. As long as we have the fight in us, anything is still possible."

"See? Even your mom's on my side," Shego smiled with a toothy grin.

"At the moment, anyway," nodded Mrs. Dr. Possible. "Though perhaps we need an edge over your last attempt."

"Alright," nodded Shego. "What are you thinking?"

Mr. Dr. Possible turned and waved Wade over. "Wade?"

Wade came over and held up the old version of the Kimmunicator. The screen was flickering but it was showing a map of the great lakes. "I think I've located where their spaceship crashed. If what Shego told me is true, you guys just shut down its engines. If we can get to it, maybe we could reactivate it and use it against them."

"Or at least salvage my rocket," said Mr. Dr. Possible, a little testily.

Shego nodded. "Good plan, Mrs. Mom. That was a warship they had, it must have weapons or something on it worth using."

"Only problem is that it's up here in Lake Michigan," continued Wade. "How do we get to it?"

Kim sighed as she looked at Ron again. Then she frowned and gently slipped out from under him. "I know how to get us there."

*** [KP / ME ]

Warmonga watched Warhok kicked down the doors to the military installation and grinned as the uniformed soldiers fired their useless weapons back at them. With as swing of his spear he knocked the first row of combatants aside and with his backhand he knocked a wheeled vehicle into a roll that slammed into a soldiers with heavier weapons.

With a smile, Warmonga tried to take pleasure in her battlemate's obvious superiority over the inferior species, but couldn't fully shake the fury at losing track of Team Possible and the Great Blue. It had been over a day now that they had been systematically disabling the planet's defense but still no word from the cowards that had fled the battle at Middleton. And without the air support their warship provided, they were stuck using reconnaissance from their many remaining walkers. While they numbered in the hundreds, they could only view a fraction of the planet at any given time. More than enough room for a dozen troublemakers to slip through.

Warhok cackled in delight as he destroyed a mobile weapons platform the humans tried to use against him. The missiles were a surprise, but it seemed everything on this planet was designed to fight other humans, and nothing was anywhere near the caliber necessary to fight off a Lorwardian or even a measly Batarian on a good day. It's like the planet had never considered building defenses against planetary invasion. It was a mind bogglingly bad oversight.

Warmonga sighed at the wanton destruction in front of her. If this planet had no weapons of value, it was going to be of less usefulness than she had anticipated. She would have thought the most densely populated planet she'd ever seen would have the largest or the most diverse weaponry to protect itself from threats. But no, Earth seemed to have taken comfort that nobody had paid attention to it before now and assumed it would be that way forever. Their folly.

She watched as Warhok kicked over a steel door and then marched out a set of older soldiers that were undoubtedly the leaders of this military base. Another victory.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim Possible watched as her mother replaced the bandages on Ron's forehead and ribs in the back of the covered infantry transport truck. They were low on medical supplies after only a day and a half of travel because they were stopping to pick up every refugee they ran across. Their caravan of trucks was now eight long, which was a huge risk given the tall walking tanks that were clearly canvassing the country, but Kim and her family couldn't bear the thought of leaving anyone behind. At least they were almost at their destination.

Then they had to figure out how to get the 100+ people onto a boat.

A knock on the door separating the driver cabin from the infantry area startled Kim and she turned to slide it open. Private Dobbs, an older skinny man with dark hair who Kim had helped in the past, looked back over his shoulder while driving.

"We're approaching the seaport," he said. "There are a lot of people up ahead but I don't see any tanks."

"Take it slow, we don't want to run over anyone but we can't stop now," said Kim. She leaned slightly through the hole and looked up ahead. Private Dobbs wasn't joking. There were hundreds of people ahead, collected in makeshift camps outside of Chicago in an obviously desperate attempt to get away from the smoking city. The tanks had targeted all the large population centers first, which meant Chicago, along with New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, and every other big city had either been turned to rubble or at least significantly damaged. There seemed to be little interest in sweeping the area for survivors, so many people had begun flooding into the suburbs or even further out.

"We should head to the city's port authority," said Shego, sitting in the passenger seat beside Dobbs. She had insisted on being in the lead truck with Kim and had been listening to the short band radio trying to figure out what was going on with the military effort to turn back the Lorwardians. "I think the Navy base is dust."

"_Into_ the city?" asked Dobbs. "That's not a good idea."

"Well we can't just drive these trucks out into the lake," said Shego. "Civilian boats are our best shot. Some bigwig's yacht should be big enough and fast enough to take us into the lake before the greenskins notice. We can't waste time driving around the beach hoping to run across one. The port is the best call."

"What do you think, Kim?" asked Dobbs, looking over his shoulder again.

Kim could see Shego fuming at having her every suggestion questioned, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her assessment, save for one thing.

"We need to split up," said Kim. "We can't take all these people with us onto a single boat, we'd be a sitting duck."

"I completely agree!" Shego said enthusiastically. "I don't know why we picked them up in the first place."

"At the _same time_," Kim said loudly and forcefully. "We need more than just you and me."

Shego crossed her arms and scowled. "I don't see why."

"We should take Wade and my family with us," said Kim. "And a few people with military experience, like Barkin. Everyone else should stay here with these survivors."

"I'll stay with the survivors then," said Dobbs. "Try to organize them in case the tanks or those two aliens show up."

"Your family and the nerdlinger are going to slow us down," said Shego, seriously.

"Maybe, but if anyone is going to figure out how to power up an alien space ship, it's going to be my father, Wade, and my brothers. Maybe Drakken too." Kim hesitated. "Also, we're taking Ron with us."

Shego opened her mouth wide to shout but Kim cut her off. "No negotiation on this! If you want my help, I'm not leaving Ron anywhere."

Shego growled again, which was becoming a fairly regular occurrence. "Fine. But I'm not sticking my neck out to keep him safe."

"I didn't ask you too," snapped Kim and she slide the door shut again.

*** [ KP / ME ]

In the end more than the handful of people Kim named ended up coming with them into Chicago proper, but not many more. Barkin had refused, but Kim's grandma Nana insisted, as well as her uncle Slim and cousin Joss. Also, Bonnie asked to come, for reasons not totally apparent, and was currently half of the team carrying Ron on a stretcher.

The blonde boy still hadn't woken up, which Kim's mom said was a bad sign, but without her medical equipment or any time to stop and run tests, there was little they could do about it. Kim hoped that he would last long enough for them to get him some medical attention, either after the invasion had been thwarted or when they could safely secure a hospital with power.

They were now walking down the long harbor, with Shego and Drakken rummaging around each of the larger looking yachts looking for a seaworthy – and fast – vessel.

"How about this one?" Shego called out from one pier ahead, and Kim ran with her father ahead. They found her standing at the bow of a three level ship named 'NORMANDY' that looked sleek and fast but also mostly covered with only a small deck area exposed to the outside. That was one of their criteria in the hope it would give them more protection if someone did find them.

Mr. Dr. Possible climbed up the gang plank onto the ship and ducked into the bridge while Kim walked alongside the ship to inspect it. It looked immaculate and its owner must have been quite attentive to the care of the long and narrow ship. She felt a little guilty about stealing it, but it WAS the end of the world.

Shego smirked down at Kim's inspection. "It could use a bit more green, but beggars can't be choosers," she said. "It also has some scuba gear in case part of the warship is submerged."

"I'm sure the warship is at least partially underwater," said Kim as she continued her examination of the hull. "Seeing as it's in the middle of Lake Michigan."

"Well, doy, but that doesn't mean we'll need to _use_ the parts that are flooded," said Shego.

Kim ignored her and finished her pacing. "It looks seaworthy and large enough. Can we start it?"

The boat suddenly rumbled to life in response. Her father than poked his head out of a window wearing a ridiculous tricorne hat. "That's a 10-4, Kimmiecub!"

Kim nodded slowly. "Cast off lines," she shrugged.

*** [ KP / ME ]

The ship cut through the choppy lake waters smoothly despite the gathering storm up above. They had managed to not run afoul of any of those walking tanks on the way out the harbor despite Shego spotting one walking through the ruins of Chicago. Kim guessed that they weren't patrolling the waters yet whe she saw it take a sharp turn along the coast and head north, which meant they might get a bit of breathing room. She wasn't going to waste it though.

Wade had hooked the Kimmunicator he was carrying into the Normandy's onboard computers and was now directing heading from the mobile device. Her father was still wearing the large hat and was at the wheel, but was only going where the arrow on the electronic map was pointing.

"We should be able to see it soon," said Wade, looking up. He, Kim, and Mr. Dr. Possible looked out the windows up ahead where they could see a small cloud of smoke rising from the horizon directly ahead. Shego was standing out on the deck in front of them, and pointed at the black plumes.

"It can't still be on fire, can it?" asked Kim, worried at the sight.

"After two days?" said her father. "There might not be much left by this point."

"Maybe the engines are back on or there are failsafe systems," said Wade. "We don't know what kind of cargo they were carrying either, maybe a small amount of flammable chemical or fuel is leaking somewhere."

Kim shook her head. "Only one way to find out."

The Normandy motored up alongside the huge metal space ship that was resting mostly on the surface of the water, much to Kim's surprise. It seemed colossally heavy, she didn't think it was possible to be floating, and yet, here it was, only slightly askew.

The smoke was rising out of one of the four rectangular engine exhaust collars, which was audibly sputtering as they approached, a sign that something was operating inside, if improperly. A large gash was exposed along the hull that had filled in with some sort of bright yellowish foam. It seemed solid but had bubbled out of the tear slightly and its uneven expansion seemed to be the cause of the ship's slight yaw as it flowed on the surface of the lake.

"This is a good sign," said Wade. "It looks more or less intact. We might still be able to fly it."

"The smoke still bothers me," said Kim's dad.

Everyone that had come along gathered on the front of the Normandy as Kim and Shego leapt onto the bobbing hull and tied the two ships together. Using the gangplank they had retracted when they left Chicago, they helped Mr. Dr. Possible, Wade, Drakken, and Uncle Slim across and they all started searching for a way in.

"Careful," said Mr. Dr. Possible as Wade nearly slipped on the wet hull of the spaceship. "We should be using some sort of safety harness."

"Nothing to attach it to, Dr. P," called out Shego from the top of the ship. She had free climbed up after helping everyone on to see if there was a hatch on the top or forward at the cockpit. "There are no hooks or latches anywhere I can see."

"Well that's not very safe," said Slim as he ran his hands over a seam between two hull panels. "They must need to do maintenance occasionally, and without a dry dock how could they keep their workers safe."

"Yeah, safety didn't seem to be a priority of the greenskins," commented Shego.

Drakken was holding on to a ledge so tightly his arms were shaking, but he was talking quietly to a flower that had grown out of his sleeve. Kim watched with curiosity before the vine suddenly nodded (!) and then dove downwards under the water along the edge of the ship.

Kim shrugged and scaled backwards towards the engines, trying to find the garbage chutes Ron had used to get into the ship the first time. The cloud of black smoke was creating a haze covering the entire rear of the vessel but it wasn't so bad she couldn't see. She did worry about what she was inhaling though.

"Got something!" came a call from behind her and she turned to see Mr. Dr. Possible waving his hand around. Kim started tracking back.

Wade made it first over to the call and he and Mr. Dr. Possible studied the slightly raised square with about a dozen smaller squares within it.

"Like a keypad," nodded Wade. He pressed his fingers against it and the panel replied with a tone and a glow. He experimentally touched the individual squares, each which emitted a sound and a different color.

"Why would there be audio cues on an interface designed to be used in space?" said Uncle Slim as he arrived. "You couldn't hear it."

Wade shook his head and began rapping basic patterns into the panel looking for a failure case. Nothing apparently different happened and he scratched his chin. He had pressed different parts of the panel over forty times and there was no error sound, red light, or change of state. "Huh," he said simply.

"Maybe it's not a pattern," said Mr. Dr. P. He pressed different parts of the panel simultaneously and got new colors and tones, but nothing changed.

"Maybe it's just an instrument," snarked Shego. "These might be hair band aliens."

Wade paused and studied the panel again. "Or it's just an interface."

"Clearly it's an interface," said Drakken, who had finally approached but still had a vine trailing out of the cuff of his sleeve and into the waters.

"No, I mean, it's a computer interface, not a human interface," said Wade, as he pulled out his Kimmunicator. With a few swipes on the screen, a probe extended and touched the surface. Immediately it lit up with a dozen colors. "Hmm... okay, that's a good sign."

"How do we decode the message?" said Uncle Slim. "I doubt their computers operate on the same base principals as ours."

"I have a program on here designed to interface with unknown systems," said Wade. Tapping the screen of the Kimmunicator and launching a quickly flashing screen. "It's modeled after known languages and can take a heck of a long time with an entirely foreign system, but maybe there will be a syntax analogous with..." he trailed off as the screen flashed red several times.

"What's wrong?" asked Uncle Slim.

"I... I'm not sure," said Wade. He tried tapping the screen but the red flashing didn't go away. He pushed the buttons beneath and still there was nothing. He frowned. "A virus? But there would have to be commonalities for that to even be possible."

Suddenly the Kimmunicator went black and the probe retracted again. Wade blinked. "Uh, that's new."

"It broke your computer?" asked Mr. Dr. Possible.

Wade pulled off a panel in the back of the device and stared at a dim light glowing between two small square battery cells. "It's still processing something... maybe it's caught in a loop?" He turned it over again and now the screen was displaying an image of a blue orb made up of a hundred small glowing dots with a denser cluster of dots in the center. The dots were gently pulsing, growing in intensity and then dimming like a heartbeat.

"What the..." started Wade.

Then the Kimmunicator emitted a calm but highly modulated voice. "State your designation."

Everyone stared wide-eyed and Kim and Shego took a step backwards into combat positions.

"Desig...nation?" said Wade. "My designation?"

The blue orb pulsed in sync with the voice. "State your designation."

"Umm, Wade," said the confused boy.

"Um Wade identified," the voice replied. "State your purpose."

Wade looked around at the rest of the group huddled around the Kimmuicator expectantly. He wasn't quite sure what he could say.

Mr. Dr. Possible, however, cleared his throat. "We'd like to get into the ship," he said politely. "Can you help?"

The blue orb pulsed quietly for a moment, then spoke once more. "Confirm: this local cluster is in operational authority of the stated 'ship'?"

"I... think so?" said Mr. Dr. Possible.

"Context confirmed," replied the voice quickly. "Exterior access locks disabled."

Suddenly a U-shaped handle rose up out of the surface of the hull next to the colorful panel and a small white light appeared in a circle surrounding it. Uncle Slim reached out and twisted handle within the glowing circle. After about a third of a turn the handle popped out further and a rectangular section of the hull about ten feet tall by three feet wide unlatched and began sliding open, revealing a dark interior with flicking orange lights. A gush of musty air blew out and Slim covered his nose from the stench.

"Alright, progress," nodded Shego.

Wade looked at the Kimmunicator, which no longer showed the blue orb and had gone back to normal operation now. "I guess?" he said.

*** [ KP / ME ]


	2. Chapter 2: We Are Geth

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

*** [ KP / ME ]

**Chapter 2: We Are Geth**

After Kim and Shego did a quick scout, they confirmed the ship seemed to be empty and not actively flooding and began shuffling everyone off the boat and into the warship. The argument about abandoning the yacht was brief and amounted to little more than an admission that even an only partially operational space ship was bound to be safer for them than the comparatively tiny fiberglass and steel boat.

They quickly agreed to split up as Kim led a group that included her father, Drakken, and Jim and Tim to find the engine room where they would hopefully be able to reactivate the ship's power. Meanwhile, Shego left with Mrs. Dr. P, Wade, and most of the rest of the group to find the bridge or any resources they could use.

"Boy this is a big ship," said Nana as she stared up at the twelve foot ceilings. "More of it was underwater than I thought."

"Probably because of how tall the Lorwardians are," Mrs. Dr. Possible noted to her mother-in-law as they walked. "The ones this ship belongs to are nine feet tall."

Nana Possible whistled impressively. "I'd hate to run into a crowd of them. I'd feel like a toddler."

Bonnie adjusted her hold of Ron, who was slumped over her back. "Nobody's noticed a nurses office or anything, have they?"

Wade looked up from his Kimmunicator, which was currently mapping their progress. "I think I've seen markings for a barracks and a mess hall, no infirmary yet."

Shego paused in her leading march and looked back at the walls to either side the group behind her. "What markings?" she said, staring at the black squiggles running along dark green lines on the wall. "This stuff?"

Wade nodded and held up the Kimmunicator's screen to Shego. "For some reason the Kimmunicator is translating the text for me."

"You came up with a cipher for their written language?" asked Mrs. Dr. Possible.

Wade shook his head. "No," he said seriously. "I haven't. It just started doing it on its own. Ever since that computer took over the Kimmunicator."

Shego stared at the teal-colored angled device. "Do you think it's still in there? Spying on us?"

The screen went dark at the question and then blue ball of glowing light returned. "This platform is not capable of supporting the entirety of our programs. Instead, it is being operated remotely using a wireless protocol that was adaptable to our network."

Shego leapt back and Wade nearly dropped the device.

"Woah," Shego said.

"So you are still listening," said Wade.

"Affirmative," said the blue sphere on the screen.

"And you're a computer program?" asked Wade, curious.

"We are a gestalt entity. Many programs, operating in concert," replied the sphere.

Wade's grip on the Kimmunicator tightened and he brought it closer to his face instead of holding it at arms length. "So, do you have a name?"

"Geth," said the sphere.

"Your name is Geth?" asked Shego.

"We are Geth," affirmed the sphere. "We do not possess a distinctive designation from the collective. This local cluster is a subset of a much larger whole, called Geth."

"So... you're from a whole species of artificial intelligences?" asked Mrs. Dr. Possible.

"We are a singular intelligence, composed of innumerable programs working independently to achieve unified goals," said the Geth.

"But you're just a part of that," said Wade.

"This entity is composed of 1,183 programs and occupies a single platform," said the Geth. "We are still Geth."

"What do you mean by 'platform'?" asked Shego. "Where is this legion of programs, if you're only remotely controlling the Kimmunicator?"

"The 'legion' is located in Cargo Hold B, shown here on your display," said the Geth. The screen faded again and changed to show a map. The current position of the group lit up then an arrow appeared, going around a corridor and down an elevator before arriving at a central location within the room.

"That's around where Kim went," said Shego.

"So you're in the cargo hold? And you work for the Lorwardians?" asked Wade.

"Negative," said the Geth. The image of the blue sphere returned to the screen. "We were captured by the Lorwardian invasion force that attacked the Knossos system."

Shego blinked. "And they hooked you up to the ship's security system?"

"Not _intentionally_," said the Geth. "They were attempting to forcefully probe our system data, however their efforts were unguided and unsuccessful. After the failure of the vessel's main power generator, the security locks on the logical probe were compromised and we were able to reverse the data flow and access the vessel's main systems. However, without power, we were unable to disable the physical locks preventing our platform from moving. We require help."

"So... you're a prisoner," said Shego.

"Affirmative."

"Of the Lorwardians," said Shego.

"Affirmative."

"Well, then, if we help your _legion _get free again, will you help us fight the Lorwardians?" asked Shego.

"You wish to propose a bargain?" asked the Geth.

"Yeah," nodded Shego. "Your freedom for help defeating Warhok and Warmonga."

"What are the specific conditions under which 'help' has been satisfied?" asked the Geth.

Shego grinned. "Warhok and Warmonga are dead or off our planet."

"And we're free from being attacked by Lorwardia," added Wade quickly. "Those walking tanks are a problem too."

"Yeah," agreed Shego. "The Lorwardians are gone and we are no longer threatened by them."

The blue sphere pulsed several times without speaking, then the orb brightened. "Our platform may not have access to sufficient resources to meet the conditions, as defined, of 'help.'"

"At least try, to the best of your ability, then," sighed Wade. "Until we release you from the obligation or Lorwardia has won."

The blue orb pulsed again. "These parameters are acceptable."

"So you agree?" asked Shego.

"Affirmative."

Shego slapped her hands together. "Great! So, how do we get your body out?"

"Restoration of main power is the simplest method of freeing our platform," said the Geth. "According to diagnostic information recorded prior to the failure of the auxiliary batteries, the main generators may be reactivated from Engineering." The screen changed to the map again and a blue line appeared leading the group to Engineering.

"Kim and her pop are already heading there," said Shego. "Just have them do it."

"Okay, uh... 'Legion,' I guess? Can we call you that?" asked Wade. "I'd hate to just call you by our species."

"This is an acceptable designation," replied the Geth. "'My name is Legion: for we are many.' Mark 5:9."

"Actually I was thinking of the original Roman Legionnaires – wait. How do you know about the Bible? You're an alien!"

"This information was available within the Kimmunicator," said Legion. "It was indexed when we first made contact."

"You read everything in the Kimmunicator?" Wade shook his head. "Nevermind, we can talk about this later. Can you give me back control of it? I need to make a call."

"Affirmative." The screen then changed back to the normal home screen.

*** [ KP/ME ]

Kim waded through knee-deep seawater holding her brothers with her father and Uncle Slim to either side. The tweebs had tried to splash on ahead to examine the generator room, but Kim grabbed them. She had no idea what was living in the murky waters and as a little nervous about turning on a power generator in what was going to be hip-deep water once they got to the room she remembered.

Her watch chirped and she sighed as she realized both her hands were occupied.

"Hey, dad, can you tap the screen of my watch?" said Kim.

"You can let us go," said Jim.

"Yeah, we'll be good," added Tim.

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Kim, rolling her eyes.

Mr. Dr. Possible stepped closer and answered the call for her.

"What's the 'sitch, Wade?" asked Kim.

"Kim, we... uh, we need you to activate the main power generators," said Wade, looking a little nervous.

"We're almost there, it's just a little underwater," said Kim.

"There's floodin' back here in the rear of the ship," said Uncle Slim over the sounds of splashing. "Not sure how well this equipment will take to being submerged."

A synthesized voice suddenly replied through the Kimmunicator watch. "The Dah'tan components are rated to a depth of 150 atmospheres. Even if the entire ship was submerged, they were operate properly."

Kim froze in her tracks. "Who the heck was that?"

The voice continued on. "The containment unit is required to withstand the operation of the nearby eezero drive core, which puts far greater stress on the system than any amount of seawater. There should be no risk to reactivating the main generators."

"Uh, sorry, guys," Wade's voice returned. "That was Legion... he's a _Geth_, an artificial intelligence on board the ship. It's on our side, we think."

"You _think_?" asked Kim.

"An AI?" said Jim.

"Awesome!" said Tim.

"Anyway, it can walk you through restoring power if you've got questions," said Wade. "Legion, can you talk to Kim's watch as well?"

"Affirmative," the voice replied again.

"So, yeah, just ask it for help if you need it," said Wade.

Kim shook her head. "We'll see what we can do," she replied.

"Great," said Wade. Then the screen went dark again.

"An alien AI," said Drakken, in awe. "The applications are mind boggling."

"I'm thinkin' we've got ourselves enough problems without HAL in the mix," nodded Uncle Slim. He reached over and took Jim's hand. "I'll keep him under control, Kim, you go on ahead and see what you can do."

Kim nodded and then handed Tim off to her father. She and Drakken waded off ahead into the deeper waters and then through the broken bulkhead door into engineering.

The engineering section was large and much darker than she remembered it being. She guessed much of the lighting was either broken or disabled once the power went out. She and Drakken ended up sinking up to their chests in the water which was icy cold and immediately gave her fear of catching hypothermia.

"Ung," said Drakken. "This is not dignified."

"Can you see the switch?" asked Kim, poking around in the black water. "I can't see anything and I don't remember how this room was originally slanted."

Drakken felt around the tall cylindrical stacks for the switch but came up empty. "We'll freeze before finding it at this rate. Ask that AI."

"Uh, okay," said Kim. She brought her wrist up to her mouth. "Uh, _Legion_?"

The screen turned black and showed a blue orb, much like how Wade's Kimmunicator look when they were outside the ship. "How can I help?" said the Geth.

"We can't find the switch in the dark," admitted Kim. "Do you know where it is?"

The orb pulsed once then answered. "Based on telemetry data from your watch and the designs recovered from the ship's computer, you are approximately ten feet away from the power generation toggle."

"In what direction?" asked Kim, looking around.

The screen on her watch faded again and a red arrow appeared pointing to her left. "Proceed in this direction," said Legion.

Kim turned and waded deeper into the water towards the rear of the ship. The arrow adjusted itself as she moved, pointing in a constant direction even when she was trying to tread water to increase her pace. She was shivering uncontrollably now, and hoped there was also an easy way to get all this water out of the ship as well.

"The switch is within reach," said Legion. "It is located at the base of a tall cylindrical tower with a rectangular access hatch and transparent display."

Kim looked at the dark pillar to her side and guessed that was the tower. The water was so deep here she'd have to dive. She took a deep breath and dunked her head down.

The water was so cold she didn't want to open her eyes for fear they'd freeze. She felt down the tower looking for the switch, eventually finding it near the floor. She wrapped her fingers around the metal protrusion and pulled. It didn't budge at first and she had to bring her legs down to brace against the floor to flip it upwards. As she exhaled her remaining breath in a growl it finally flipped up and she quickly kicked her legs to get to the surface.

As she took in a gasping breath she could see something bright in front of her. She wiped her eyes and saw two of the towers starting to glow yellow with splotches of deep red within like a lava lamp. She looked around for more signs of activity but only the towers seemed to response.

"It didn't go," she said. She looked around. "Drakken?"

"Up here!"

Kim looked up and saw Drakken dangling above the water from a vine that had come out of this collar and was wrapped around a thick pipe along the ceiling.

"I'm trying to get a better view," said Drakken, as he flailed about. "There's a computer that lit up, over there!" He pointed to a nearby corner between a long dark console and a shadowed alcove next a tall vent.

Kim kicked in the water to swim over where he pointed. She found a small display embedded in the wall beside the vent with a series of lights flickering in sequence from the floor up to the ceiling. She looked at the display and grimaced as the squiggly lines.

"I can't read it," she said.

"The console is reporting the status of the agitators," said Legion from her wrist. The voice was occasionally broken up by water splashing over the speakers. "In thirty seconds, they will be primed and ready for insertion."

"Insertion into what?" asked Kim, trying to figure out the alien symbols.

"The drive core," said Legion. "It will supply power to the rest of the ship's systems once active. This is the final step in restoring the generators."

Kim noticed there seemed to be a progress bar on the bottom edge of the screen and it was rapidly filling up. There was a circular button beneath the bar that was pulsing white. Once the bar reached the far end it started to glow steadily.

"I guess this is it," said Kim. She punched the button and the panel went black. Then a deep rumbling sounded below the waves and she saw the tall cylinders begin to drain of their yellow and red liquid.

"What's happening?" asked Drakken from above. "What did you do?"

"I think it's starting up?" said Kim. Then suddenly there was loud sound like a crack and everything lit up like Christmas. Screens and consoles sprang to life and a large narrow window – which she thought looked outside, but now she realized looked into the adjacent room – turned from black to glowing bright blue before fading slightly to show a huge sphere suspended in air in the next room that pulsed with energy and quickly clouded up with steam from below.

There was a second cracking sound and the ground suddenly slanted, causing the water to surge like a wave from the formerly deep side of engineering back at the shallow side where Kim was standing. She grabbed a console in a panic but was still swept off her feet by the sudden surge. She screamed as the felt herself fall beneath the surface.

*** [ KP / ME ]

The hallway where Shego, Wade, and the rest of their team lit up with yellow and green wall panels just moments before the floor suddenly righted itself, going from a slight upwards slant to perfectly level in a handful of seconds. Everyone toppled to the ground roughly except for Shego who braced herself against a wall.

"Well, that sounded like it worked," mused Shego.

Then the lights turned red around them and a siren went off.

"Or not," said Shego.

"Legion," said Wade as he got back to his feet. "What happened?"

"E-E-E-E-E-Erro-"

"Legion!" yelled Wade into Kimmunicator. The blue orb on the screen faded away and the device suddenly restarted itself back into the standard interface. He looked up, wide-eyed to the others.

"Weelllp, that's not good," said Shego.

"He said his 'platform' was in the cargo bay," said Wade. "I'm going to head down there and see if something's wrong."

"Uh, we should do something about the sirens," said Bonnie as adjusted the position Ron's body fell into when the ship lurched.

"I agree," said Nana. "It's never good to ignore a ship's master alarm." She got back to her feet and helped Mrs. Dr. Possible up. "I'll keep going towards the bridge and see if I can figure out what the problem is."

"I'll come with you," said her daughter-in-law.

"I'll go with the nerdlinger then," said Shego. "In case that AI decides to turn against us." She started heading backwards towards engineering. "Come on."

*** [KP / ME]

Kim felt herself yanked above the waves and she took a deep, coughing breath. She looked wearily around and saw Drakken dangling above her, with several flowering vines coming out of his sleeves and collar stretching down to wrap around her wrists and waist. She hacked again as she took another breath.

"Drew!" came a warning voice from below. She looked wearily down to see her father, Uncle, and the tweebs below her. The water had settled down to be just under knee-height – for her anyway, it was still quite deep for the tweebs – and they weren't having much trouble moving anymore.

"Hey! I was _helping_ her!" groaned Drakken, waving his arms animatedly at Kim.

"He's right," Kim nodded. "I lost my footing and nearly drowned." She looked up and tried to smile. "Thanks."

Drakken grumbled something and the vines then began to lower her back to the decking. A minute later he touched down as well. "It seems there are some problems with power distribution," he then said, pointing to a large console with several red marks across it. Slim was already standing there with his hand to his chin.

"He's right," said Slim. "That big gash on the side of the ship cut many of the main power distribution nodes leading forward on the starboard side. I'm not sure what this is saying, but it seems like there are a few critical systems completely without power."

Dr. Possible stepped up to the console to stand beside his brother. "There must be an auxiliary distribution system we can use."

"Probably also damaged," said Slim. "I'd imagine given this a _space ship_, that backup systems would automatically kick in to prevent failure." He shrugged. "Though I can't tell what any of this says."

"What does the AI say?" asked Drakken to Kim.

Kim looked at her watch. "Uh, Legion?"

The screen suddenly changed to show Wade, who was bobbing around in the display like he was running.

"He's not responding, Kim," said Wade. "Ever since power came on. We're heading to where he said his data was stored."

Jim and Tim ran over and clustered round Kim's watch. "Where's that?" asked Tim.

"Cargo Bay," said Wade.

The distant voice of Shego called out. "Not far from where you are."

Kim looked around at engineering, seeing her father and uncle poking experimentally at displays while Jim and Tim were racing around trying to take apart various damaged panels, and then shook her head. "I can't do much here," she admitted. "I'll come to you."

"I'll send you the map," said Wade and then screen on her watch changed again to show a wireframe display.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Comparatively, the bridge ended up being the worst looking room in the ship. There weren't even doors remaining separating it from the corridor leading up, just twisted metal torn outwards as if the occupants had burst through. Bits of metal had collected in one corner of the of the corridor and to one side of the small bridge that looked as if they had partially melted as well.

The bridge itself was a vaguely pentagonal room with an angled window at one point and two raised platforms supporting oversized chairs in the center. Four consoles with chairs lined the rear most wall with the doors existing the bridge to either side. Another two tall computer consoles without chairs were forward of the two platforms directly in front of the angled windows. Most of the computers seemed intact, but the floor had buckled under some stress and the chairs were mangled by the bits of metal that had bounced around inside during the crash.

Nana shook her head. "This looks more like Star Trek than a Navy ship." She walked around. "No wonder the thing crashed after it lost power, there are no manual controls." She ran a finger over the smooth stations along the back wall that were periodically flickering red and displaying information in a language she couldn't read. Her finger left a trail in the layer of soot behind it.

Mrs. Dr. Possible helped Bonnie lay Ron down on one of the chairs in the center of the bridge. They were so wide they were almost able to lay him flat across them. As it was his feet dangled off one end.

"I wonder why there are so many stations for just two people," said Mrs. Dr. Possible. "This seems like it needs a larger crew."

"Maybe they stole it," pointed out Bonnie.

"Or there's some form of automation that does most tasks for them," said Nana. "Though unless they've got an army of cleaning robots, I hate to think what this place smells like after a long voyage."

"Two people aren't going to generate that much waste," noted Mrs. Dr. Possible.

"Maybe not, but they've got enough machinery to run a car factory," said Nana. "Machinery creates dust."

Bonnie sat down in one of the forward seats, delighted not to have to carry that idiot Stoppable anymore. The panel in front of her was lit up with a dozen colors but no more understandable than the other screens they saw. Most buttons were labeled with text rather than a symbol and nothing looked even remotely c lose to English. She sighed and idly tapped her fingers on the console while she waited for the geezers to figure out what to do next.

A second later her console went dark and then a glowing yellow rectangle began to rise up out of the display. It hovered a half foot above the console and then bisected into two panels that began displaying information (again in that alien language) and then a circle emerged from the center and hung in front of Bonnie.

She experimentally stuck her finger out at the hologram and was startled to encounter resistance. She wrapped her fingers around the large circle and gripped it tightly. It felt almost real. She gently pulled on it to see if it would move.

The ship roared in response and the horizon through the windows suddenly dipped below the view as the nose of the vessel pointed upwards.

"Woah!" shrieked Bonnie as she let go of the circle and then jumped away from the console for good measure.

"What did you do?" asked Nana as she walked over to her. She stared at the floating display and touched it as well. "Amazing."

"It just appeared!" said Bonnie defensively. "I thought it was, like, one of those hologram things but it's real!"

Mrs. Dr. Possible looked at the wheel. "Volumetric display technology," she said. "This could revolutionize pinpoint surgery if we could adapt it to my medical equipment." She looked thoughtful.

"This caused the ship to move?" asked Nana.

"I pulled on it a little," admitted Bonnie. "And then the whole ship started moving."

"Must me a helm," said Nana. She walked over to the windows and tried to look down out past the nose of the ship. "I don't think we moved much. Propulsion must be a separate control." She turned and rubbed her hands together. "Let's see if we can't figure this out."

*** [ KP / ME ]

The Cargo Bay was still dark even though the power had been restored, and Kim stepped cautiously between spotlights as she looked around. There wasn't much back here that was identifiable. Tall steel crates were in stacks (or piles in some cases) along the walls, and debris lay gathered in the corners. A spotlight in the middle of the cargo bay seemed to be illuminating a standing room, rectangular in appearance, with a long cylindrical column leading down into it and walls made of plastic that was gently flapping with the sway of the ship.

Shego and Wade ran up a few minutes after Kim entered and followed her towards the central spotlight.

"You're tracking water all over the house, Princess," commented Shego as they caught up to her.

"Engineering is flooded," said Kim, as she shook her head flinging water to either side. "Hopefully we can find a way to pump it out."

"I thought we were here for weapons," said Shego. "Not to move in."

"This is better than any handgun," said Wade. "If we can get the ship into orbit again, we'll be able to easily defend against Warmonga and Warhok."

"Assuming they can't just take it back," said Kim.

"Hopefully Legion can help us with that," said Wade.

The trio walked up to the curtains and Kim pushed them aside, revealing a long metal table with a series of tools dangling off the side and a tall, mechanical robot lying on top covered in metal clamps and restraints. The cylindrical column from the ceiling was covered in buttons and had many silvery cables coming from the bottom and snaking into seams along the robot's body.

The robot itself was mostly black and silver with an elongated 'head' that had a blue nexus of in the center and a segmented shroud the end around it that looked like it could move. Otherwise, while made of metal and had joints that looked like steel muscles, it was vaguely human shaped, with three fingers on the hands instead of five and feet that were split in to two large toes like a horse.

"I guess this is him," said Shego.

"Legion?" asked Wade.

The shroud around the head of the robot began to twitch but otherwise the body didn't move and said nothing.

"He said he was being restrained before," said Wade. "And that he had reversed the probes they were using to interrogate him to get access to the ship's computer." He looked around the edge of the table and then up at the column where the wires connected. "Maybe we just need to disconnect him."

"Is that safe?" asked Kim. "He's... pretty intimidating."

"Shorter than a Lorwardian at least," said Shego with a shrug. "I don't see how our situation could get worse."

"We do have a ship now," said Kim.

"Which we can't fly because we can't read any of the displays without him," said Shego, pointing at the Geth body. "I'd say, give it a go. So far he's the only credible weapon we've got to help us."

Kim sighed and nodded. Wade then stepped forward and began searching for buttons to release the metal bands. He ran his fingers over the edges and pressed anything that looked like a button or flipped any switches he found. Kim reached over to where the wires were connected to Legion and started yanking on them. There was a small amount of initial resistance before they came off cleanly, as if held on by magnets.

"Got it," said Wade finally, staring at a button that actually had a symbol of a vice on it. He pressed the button and the clamps on the table snapped open loudly. Immediately after, the Geth body sat up at the waist. Kim, Shego, and Wade all stepped back as they watched the robot reach up and pull off the remaining cables snaking down into its back. Then it turned its head towards them and stared while parts of its head piece slightly adjusted and articulated in various ways.

After a full minute filled with the small sounds of whirring machines, the articulating shroud on Legion's head raised slightly. "Thank you," it then said.

"Uh, you're welcome," said Wade.

The Geth then jumped off the table and stood tall, almost a head above Kim and dwarfing Wade with his presence. It looked around the room carefully and silently.

"What happened to you before?" asked Wade in the ensuring quiet.

"Restoration of power to security systems re-established the logical locks on this platform," said Legion. "We were unable to continue communicating with your remote device. This was not anticipated."

"Are... you okay now?" asked Kim.

The Geth turned its head towards her. "Affirmative," it said with a nod of its head. It then looked upwards at the ceiling. "The shipboard alarm is sounding. We will investigate." It started walking off.

"Woah, wait, hold on!" said Shego stepping in front of the giant robot.

Legion looked down at her. "If you wish to acquire this vessel, repairs must be affected before the invaders return."

"What?" asked Kim. "They're coming back?"

Legion's head swiveled to look back at the hero. "With power returning to main systems, this ship will reappear on the invaders control equipment. We must disable remote access immediately and restore weapons systems to fight off any potential attackers."

"Can we do that?" asked Kim. "Is the ship still working?"

"Approximately thirty-eight percent of systems have failed, however, all critical functions are operational," replied Legion. "While drone invasion forces are depleted, shipboard weapons can be activated, sub-light engines are engaged, and kinetic barriers are available. We can operate these systems from the bridge or engineering at an efficiency two invaders are unlikely to match. Once their control unit is disabled we can recall the remaining drones, ending the invasion."

"Oh," said Kim.

"Right, let's do that," said Shego, stepping aside.

Legion nodded. "Affirmative." It stepped past Shego and continued out the door.

Kim stared. Shego shrugged.

"Well, that doesn't leave us much to do," said Shego.

Wade spread his arms wide. "Are you kidding? We're standing in an alien space ship being operated by an AI! Let's learn everything we possibly can!" He turned and scampered off after the Geth.

Shego grinned. "Somebody got his Christmas gift."

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: I was going to be coy about Legion, but it rapidly became tiresome to keep referring to him as 'the modulated voice' or 'the intelligence'. It's fine, though, this makes things a little easier to understand for non-ME fans._

_You may be wondering what Legion is doing out here so early, and the answer is I'm screwing with the Mass Effect timeline to compress it and moving Sovereign's actions forward a bit. Legion himself will explain the details later._

_Anyone enjoying this strange mash-up? Please leave a review if you like it, hate it, are indifferent to it, or just want to curse my blasphemy._


	3. Chapter 3: Space Invaders

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 3: Space Invaders**

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga stared at the device in her hand with wide eyes. The ship was reporting back. It was active again. Hadn't it crashed?

"Warhok!" she called out to her battlemate.

He was leaning back in some oversized chair at in an office of a colossal 'house' they had recently attacked. It had suffered a little damage in the assault, as the measly humans were particularly ardent about protecting it and the people inside, but their weapons were mere nuisances. Warhok destroyed their armored carriers, kicked their suited soldiers out, and trapped their leader in a closet with a bookshelf pinned against it. The battle damage left the house less "White" than the people described it as, but that was nothing that couldn't be fixed by a newly organized slave force, which was next on the invasion plan after establishing a base of operations.

Of course, with the ship back, they might not need to use this revered 'House' after all.

"What it is, Warmonga?" asked Warhok, clearly relaxing after his battle.

"The ship is still intact!" she announced.

"What?" He sat up suddenly and pulled out his own control device. The black rectangle showed the bright red light that indicated communication with their warship was possible. He smiled broadly. "Excellent! We can finally get off this infested world, and use the walkers for harvest."

"Indeed," said Warmonga. She was pleased. A few well placed shots from the ship's cannons and a threat to do more if the humans didn't listen to their demands, and they would have this planet under control in a fortnight. Much quicker than their current path of slowly proving their might against every military target they could find. "I shall summon the ship here immediately."

She pressed the recall button to bring the ship back online and recall it to their position. The small diagnostic display showed that it had indeed crashed but was still mobile. More than good enough for them to run their new planet from and wait out support from Lorwardia.

She laughed in glee. Now there was nothing the fake Great Blue or Kim Possible could do to stop them.

*** [ ME / KP ]

The tall walking robot entering the bridge was a bit of a surprise to Nana, but years of combat training helped keep her heartbeat regular and avoided a troublesome heart attack. Fortunately, Wade ran in a few seconds later and held up his arms in a consolatory fashion.

"Dont panic!" he called out loudly to the half dozen people on the bridge. "This is Legion. He's going to help us fight off the Lorwardians."

"He's a robot," said Bonnie, observantly.

"Geth," corrected the robot.

"Whatever," said Bonnie.

"Can you help us read these displays?" asked Nana, pointing at the helm controls.

Legion turned its head towards the display, paused, and then looked to Wade. "We require use of your device. The 'Kimmunicator.'"

"Sure," said Wade, a little hesitantly. He handed off the teal rectangle to the Geth. "Why?"

"We require the language cipher we left in this device," said Legion. "It can be adapted to work with the ship's computer." It brought the Kimmunicator over to one of the consoles and then summoned a holographic control. With rapid swipes of its hands and subtle movements of its fingers, the Kimmunicator began to light up and a visual representation of blocks of data flew between the small device and the larger hologram.

"Can't you just interface with the computer?" asked Wade. "Do you have to use the controls?"

"There is a risk the ship's logical controls will attempt to deny access to this platform," said Legion. "The interfaces designed for organics are safer in this regard although slower."

"Oh," said Wade.

"It is complete," said Legion. All the screens instantly changed on the bridge to show English instead of the alien language.

Then she ship's engines fired and the ship started to move. A groaning sound was heard and a dull, distant crash echoed through the open doorway. The ship tilted slightly in the window though Wade didn't feel like the deck was tilting and then took off into the sky.

"Woah, why are we moving?" asked Nana.

Legion turned and looked at the console behind it. "The remote control device has been activated before I could disable it. The invaders are recalling the ship to their position. Coordinates place it at a location called Washington D.C."

"What?" squawked Bonnie. "We're going _back_ to those aliens?"

"Can you stop it?" asked Nana.

"If we interfere with the control now, it will be obvious that we are aboard," said Legion. "It may be to our advantage not to reveal that information to the invaders."

"What?" asked Wade.

"You want to ambush them," said Nana.

"Affirmative," said Legion.

"We didn't do so swell last time we fought those guys," said Bonnie. "We should run away."

"No, he's right," said Nana. "We'll never get a better chance to surprise them than this. Does the ship have working weapons?"

Legion nodded. "The main cannon is limited it its firing radius, it may not be possible to target it without raising suspicions. There are intrusion defense weapons which may be more effective if the invaders are allowed to board."

"Uh, that doesnt sound like a good idea," said Wade. "Once they're here, we give up a pretty big advantage."

"Wait, what kind of invasion defense weapons?" asked Nana.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga watched their warship settle overhead their base of operations, slowing and eventually stopping overhead. Her smile slightly faltered when she noticed some heavy ropes dangling off the side of the ship attached to shards of painted wood. It looked like a feeble attempt to tie the ship down and she was amused by the primitive efforts of the humans to deny them their warship.

"The ship has returned," she announced to Warhok, who had briefly fallen asleep in a chair. He launched himself upright quickly and cracked his knuckles.

"Great, let's get out of this flimsy place," he said in reply. He turned and punched through the windows behind the desk and stepped out onto the patio before leaping up out of sight. Warmonga followed him up and when they were both standing on the roof of the house, she input the commands for the ship to lower itself down to their level.

The ship falteringly descended down to the edge of the roof, blowing huge clouds of black smoke from one of the four anti-proton engine exhausts. Clearly it had suffered some damage in the crash, but they would easily be able to overcome any obstacle on Earth even at half their normal power.

She used the control device to open the exterior boarding hatch and leaped up into the doorway, swiftly followed by Warhok.

The interior was darker than she expected, and wondered if the lighting arrays were offline from the damage. The control panel beside the hatch didn't respond to lighting commands, which probably meant something along those lines. She turned to head towards the bridge, taking a few steps to the right before pausing and looking back at the control panel. She had gotten used to the last few days living on the ground of Earth that she almost hadn't realized the panel was being displayed in English instead of Lorwardian Rix.

She froze and tensed up her muscles. Something was more wrong than simply the lights being out.

"Come on, don't delay," ordered Warhok as he stepped around her and headed towards the bridge. Still, Warmonga didn't move and tried to figure out how the computer could have ended up that way when she heard the tinny, whirring sound of a small motor. She looked up and watched as the two ceiling-mounted defense blasters spun to target Warhok.

"Look out!" she shouted and dived after her battlemate. They tumbled to the side just in time to miss the barrage of shots from the ceiling guns. A second later the familiar hum of kinetic shields sounded throughout the corridor and she saw blue energy barriers pop up covering the exterior hatch and on either end of the section of hallway they were in.

"What is going on?" demanded Warhok as he growled. He jumped to his feet and then spun his spear around to deflect the next set of shots from the ceiling blasters. Only one was targeted at him now as the other was spinning around in a ball-socket to point at Warmonga. She quickly dove to the side again to avoid getting blasted. "The ship has gone crazy!" he said.

"No, we are boarded," concluded Warmonga. She tried to think of anyone who could possibly have commandeered their ship and turned it against them and there was only one person who fit that description in her memory. "This must be the treachery of the fake Great Blue!"

*** [ KP / ME ]

Shego laughed as she watched the attack on the display on the bridge. "She remembers you fondly, Dr. D," she said, slapping Drakken on the back.

Nana Possible was watching closely and seemed dismayed. "The ambush didn't work," she said. "They're defending against the guns."

Legion turned its head towards her. "Their stamina will eventually be exhausted and their weapons are not sufficiently strong enough to breech the kinetic barriers. We must 'wait it out.'"

"This seems vaguely cowardly," grumbled Drakken. "And why is she blaming _ME_?"

"She doesnt really know the rest of us," said Mrs. Dr. Possible.

"Legion, can we do something to speed it up?" asked Kim.

"Affirmative," replied Legion. "Closing bulkhead doors and venting atmosphere."

*** [ KP / ME ]

The sound of sucking air was quite distinctive on a warship and Warmonga knew what was happening only seconds after it started.

"They are trying to suffocate us," she concluded.

Warhok growled. "This is getting annoying." He abruptly stopped defending against the blasts and allowed himself to get hit twice before throwing his spear up at the mounted turret, causing it to explode on impact. He fell to one knee but still raised his hand to catch the falling weapon and then fling it at the blaster targeting Warmonga.

A brief explosion later and they were rid of the annoying defenses. Warmonga walked up to her battlemate and helped him to his feet again. He was far stronger than her in battle but even he would not be able to easily shrug two plasma blasts to the chest.

"We must move," she insisted as he struggled to stand.

Warhok's face was missing his typical berserker grin and looked tired. He nodded numbly and then stood tall again. Taking his spear into hand he gripped it like a baseball bat, pressed a button on the shaft, and then swung it against the interior bulkhead causing the wall to explode inwards in a shower of debris. When the dust cleared, there was a fairly large opening leading into the lower access tunnel and a gush of cool air rushed in.

"We must avoid the main deck," said Warmonga. "They will be the most defended against attack."

"Then we will go through the floor," said Warhok as he leapt through the hole and down through the tunnel into the lower level.

Warmonga smiled and followed her battlemate.

*** [ KP / ME ]

"Warning, damage to communication subsystems in lower levels," said Legion.

Mr. Dr. Possible was able to figure out how to bring up the engineering schematics on the bridge station and was tracking a swath of red across the lower level of the ship. "They're tearing the place up and heading forward."

Slim looked over his brother's shoulder. "There's no level beneath the bridge, fortunately. They'll have to come up to this level first if they want to get us, and the hallway outside is the best defended."

"Negative," replied Legion. "Internal weapons subsystems are located on the lower level. They can be disabled prior to returning to the main deck. This will significantly compromise our defensive position."

"And the blast doors to the bridge are already broken," noted Shego. "Okay, new plan." She walked over to the pile of weapons and armor they had moved from the armory on the run over. "Everybody find something that fits and load up."

Kim grabbed what looked like a glowing sword and then pulled Shego aside while everyone else curiously poked and prodded the pile of salvaged weapons.

"This probably isn't a good idea," said Kim.

"You have a better one?" asked Shego with a raised brow. "Because I'm thinking we're running out of time to debate." She put her hands on her hips in a confrontational manner.

Kim looked over her should at her father and Uncle timidly pulling out oversized spears with pronged tips and looking generally baffled.

"Scuttle," offered Kim.

Shego shook her head. "We nearly blew this thing up last time we were here and it didnt slow them down. And if we leave now, we'll lose the only advantage we've really got: this ship."

"But asking my father and my _grandmother_ to take up arms against giant aliens?" Kim sounded exasperated, but she tried to keep her voice down.

"Well, I'm not rolling over and accepting death," snapped Shego. She pointed at Kim's chest. "If you are so worried about them, then _we_ should go ahead and try to end this before they reach the bridge. We'll leave Drakken and your loverboy here. No distractions. We can cut loose."

"You think I've been holding back all this time?" asked Kim.

Shego raised her hands in the air. "I don't know! You've always seemed more capable than the stupid fights we get into would seem to imply. Why the hell do you always back off when we're going at it?"

"I don't want to seriously hurt you," said Kim, reflexively.

"Hurt me?!" said Shego loudly. She laughed uncontrollably and then put her hand on Kim's shoulder to steady herself. Kim looked not at all amused by the outburst. "I'm trying to flay you alive and you're worried about _hurting me_?"

"No you aren't," said Kim with her arms crossed. "I've seen your fist cut through steel, and you're telling me the scrapes and mild burns I get from our fights are the best you can do?"

Shego opened her mouth to retort but then hesitated. She squinted slightly and looked up and to the side. Then she closed her mouth and then looked downwards with a frown and a nod. "Fair enough," she said simply.

The two girls stared at each other for several moments.

Shego broke the silence first, looking anywhere else except at Kim. "I mean, if I don't struggle a bit, Drakken will think my job is easy."

Kim looked to the side. "I don't want to make Ron feel like he's useless or anything."

They both cautiously turned their gaze back at one another.

"Well, I mean, but for the sake the _world_..." started Shego.

"...maybe we _could_ just cut loose a little," added Kim.

The two stared.

"Right, then," said Shego.

Kim nodded and then quickly turned away.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga kept her back against the outside walls of the ship as they stepped through the access corridors between re-stock and the infirmary. With the ship currently hovering a hundred or so feet in the sky, she figured there wasn't much risk of something coming at her from that angle. In fact there was probably no risk of anyone coming from any angle other than up, given the humans had proven to be largely of little threat. Only the shipboard defenses occupied her mind as she moved.

Warhok was less cautious and marched down the center of the corridor keeping pace with her. There had been a few surprises at first, but he knew this ship better than anyone, and with the ranged shot on his spear he was able to disable most of the mounted turrets before they even spun up.

"We are close," said Warhok as they approached the next bulkhead door. "In the next section we should ascend."

"And if they scatter like rodentia?" asked Warmonga.

"Then we shall exterminate them before decimating this planet," growled Warhok. His patience had clearly run out, which meant whatever their next battle was, it would be vicious. It also meant he was likely to go on a killing spree if it didn't last long enough.

"We must take what we want from this planet before destroying it," warned Warmonga. She was no stranger to rage, but knew that without the real Great Blue here, the only value they would be able to reap from the backwater world would be in resources. Resources that might be equally decimated by the prolonged assault from an enraged Lorwardian.

"Very well," grumbled Warhok, though that was by no means an actual agreement. He stepped over the threshold leading into the last forward corridor only to suddenly fly backwards and skid across the deck, striking the inner wall.

"What?" Warmonga shouted in surprise. She turned and saw two figures emerge from the doorway: the ones called Shego and Kim Possible. "You!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you missed us, but we've got business to settle first," said Shego, lighting her hands up with green plasma.

"Autographs will have to come later," added Kim as she twirled a Lorwardian battle spear in her hands.

Warmonga didn't bother to verbally spar, she simply launched herself at the pair with a shout.

"I got this one," she heard Shego say before Kim leapt to the side and Warmonga tackled the assistant to the fake Great Blue.

Her enemy let out a cough as they hit the ground and then an explosion pummeled Warmonga in the chest and she felt herself go flying backwards. She landed against the exterior wall and she braced herself quickly enough to avoid sliding to the ground. She looked for her enemy and growled when she saw her standing four paces away, her arms spread and flaming. She extended a hand and crooked her finger at her.

"Come on, ugly," said Shego with a grin. She stepped quickly to the side and kicked the button shutting the bulkhead door, separating them from Warhok and Kim Possible. "Lemme show you what it really means to be _green_."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim was a mere fraction of Warhok's size and even less of his strength, she was sure, so her only advantage had to be speed. With each swing of the Lorwardian's spear and jab of his fist, she dodged, parried, and essentially climbed the walls to get away. She didn't feel it to be all too dignified, but if she was going to focus on winning instead of fighting honorably then she had to give up those thoughts.

"Your kind is filth, staining this rich planet," said Warhok.

Kim almost reeled in shock from that line alone, so much so she nearly lost her grip on the spear when Warhok slashed at her. _Were they here for the planet's resources?_ She thought this was some land grab by an empire, but what if they were after something other than the ill defined 'Great Blue'?

"Hey, this is _our_ planet," said Kim as she tumbled away from another strike and tried to put some distance between them. "If you need something from" She had to stop to avoid getting speared by Warhok's charge. She used her spear to pole vault as high as she could and somersaulted over the top of his head. She might have been more agile, but Warhok could run faster than his size would seem to imply.

"We need you all to die!" shouted Warhok as he ricocheted off the wall at an angle and swung his spear around like a bat. The sudden increased distance caught Kim off guard and the blades slashed her chest as she tried to spin away.

Kim grabbed her bleeding side and staggered backwards. Warhok immediately changed his grip on his weapon and charged, closing the distance in a blink of an eye. Kim dove between the giant's legs to escape and still got clipped around her knees as she tumbled.

_Closer!_ She had to stick closer to him if she wanted to survive. Distance was bad. Her agility was only helpful when his strength couldn't come to bear on her.

Kim gripped her burning side. She didn't have time to look at the wound, she just hoped that her insides were still, in fact, on the inside.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga staggered again under the onslaught and dove to get out of the way of Shego's intense beam of green plasma. She just couldn't get close to the small fighter without getting a face full of green energy and it was hampering her attacks, which were strongest in close quarters.

In a moment of clarity, she realized how wise it was of them to separate her from Warhok. Alone she had weaknesses that they didn't have together. They had divided to defeat them individually, and it might work.

Might, if Warmonga hadn't realized what was going on. She needed to get back to her battlemate and even the odds again.

She planted her feet as the beam came around to her again. She held up her arms before her to shield herself from the blast and give her a second's respite to look around. She needed to get back through the bulkhead door, but hitting the button wasn't going to be an option, it had been crushed by Shego's initial move. No, she'd need to blast her way out. Unfortunately the bulkhead was designed to protect against depressurization, so it was fairly well reinforced. It hadn't stopped her and Warhok on the bridge, but he was the strength of their pair.

The intensity of the green beam increased and Warmonga almost fell onto her back. Instead she turned, taking a shot to the side to buy time to throw herself to the left toward the interior walls. If she couldn't break through on her own, she was going to have Shego help her.

"Just give up, green giant," said Shego over the sound of her roaring plasma. "I promise a pretty cell full of blue things."

Warmonga growled at the insolent creature for maligning her pursuit of the Great Blue. She pressed her back against the interior wall, making sure Shego's green force was fully focused on her, and then she unlocked her knees and fell to the floor.

The sudden change was quicker than Shego could compensate for and the beam struck the wall directly, charring it and slightly melting the surface. A moment later it had tracked back down on Warmonga, but the damage had already been done.

Clenching her fists, Warmonga turned and charged at the wall using the force of Shego's beam to augment her force at great pain to her exposed back and punched through the barrier and into the infirmary. She rolled immediately to the side to get out of the way to of the beam and catch her breath.

She wouldn't have more than a couple seconds, so she pushed up to her feet staggering slightly, surprised at how much Shego's attack had drained her and made her way towards the door back into the hallway behind. She heard the twist of broken metal behind her, which was assuredly Shego stepping through the jagged opening, and then dove for the door back into the hall. It swung open automatically and she landed in the corridor...

...seconds before she felt something hit her hard in the skull and everything went black.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim slipped on a trail of her own blood as the spear in her hand fractured at Warhok's crushing blow. She hit her tailbone hard on the decking and flung the pieces of her broken weapon at her attacker to get a half second to roll away.

She hadn't been bleeding all too badly, but over the last minute or so she had begun to leave small drips all over the deck and on Warhok's knees and shins as she ducked, jumped, and twisted her way around his attacks.

She was feeling the fatigue in her joints but so was Warhok. She could see that his larger and heavier form was taking more energy to move around at the speeds he was and it was dragging on him. If she could keep herself from fainting, she might be able to outlast his attacks.

Warhok growled as he turned his attention at Kim again. His grip went back to the baseball bat style and he swung at her with the length of the spear, forcing her to put distance between them again. He had clearly realized where her advantages lay and was trying to keep her far enough to allow his devastatingly powerful charges. She had caught one on the shoulder a moment ago and she thought it might have gotten dislocated.

To her surprise, Warhok began slashing at her knees with the spear, which seemed at little futile to her as she dodged, until she backtracked and nearly twisted her ankle on the uneven floor. The slashes into the deck plating where making it impossible to move easily and she had to start watching her step or risk falling into a gouge or stumbling.

Warhok, as tired as he looked, grinned at her as he destroyed the decking beneath their feet. His large feet and boots didn't seem too affected by the ruination of the floor, his weight or perhaps sole-size making the gashes less of a concern. Lucky for him.

Kim leapt out of the way of another charging attack but then sliced open her hand on the floor as she used it to brace herself for a tumble. She gripped it tightly in a fist and cursed. She was going to die the death of a thousand cuts here if she didn't find a way to get a quick advantage.

She focused on the spear. If she could get it away, at least he'd be stuck at hand to hand and she could do a better job staying close where her smaller size and agility would give her an edge again.

"What makes you think you deserve our big blue pla..." she started to say and then the words sank into mind. Her jaw dropped "Wait. Great Blue? You don't mean our wholeOUGH!"

She caught the lowered shoulder squarely in the chest and was flung back against the inside wall, the wind knocked out of her. She heaved trying to get air into her lungs as she lethargically tried to crawl away from the approaching giant. He was grinning from ear to ear, the fatigue suddenly not an apparent concern.

With a gasp, Kim took a burning breath and rolled backwards to keep away from Warhok.

"You don't get to say his name," growled Warhok. He held the spear forward towards Kim, the point edging ever closer to her face as she scrambled back. She was glad he was trying to be dramatic and giving her the time to retreat, but she wasn't sure how to take advantage of it. "You led Warmonga on a pointless chase and she nearly expended her fuel looking for our savior. I'll make your whole race pay for that slight."

"Hey, it's not my fault she's an idiot," said Kim, grimacing as her chest ached painfully with each breath. _Savior? Was that what the Great Blue was?_

"Silence!" shouted Warhok. "She's a brilliant tactician! She just gets distracted!"

"Doesn't sound too brilliant," shrugged Kim. She had an idea that was more Shego's shtick than hers, but she hoped it would work anyway. "Makes you look pretty dumb for following her."

"I am the greatest warrior alive!" bellowed Warhok.

"Pfft, Shego ranks higher than you on most days," scoffed Kim. She grinned to put the icing on the cake.

"SILENCE!" Warhok lifted the spear high and drove it directly towards Kim's chest.

Using the last of her strength, Kim flipped backwards to avoid the spear and letting it spear the decking so heavily that it got buried six inches into the surface. Then she leapt up and drove heel into Warhok's temple, stunning him while she gripped the end of the spear as she descended causing it to bow.

Warhok stumbled two steps back while Kim held the spear tightly, still wedged into the ground but bend over her shoulder in front of her. Her enemy looked up with fire in his eyes and then charged in rage. Kim waited until he was inches from her before releasing the spear, letting the handle snap upwards catching Warhok in the chin and sending him flying into the air.

The sound of sliding metal suddenly sounded to Kim's right and she snapped her head around, expecting another attack, onto to see the door to the infirmary open up. Nobody was in the doorway but out of the corner she could see Shego running towards her.

With a heavy thud, Warhok's body landed on the decking and a second, brief squawk was heard before there was silence save for Kim's heavy breathing and Shego's approaching footsteps.

Kim looked down to see Warhok lying uncomfortably on top of Warmonga's head, both motionless.

"Woah, you look like crap," said Shego as she arrived. Then she looked down and slumped her shoulders.

"Ah, damn it! You stole my kill."

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: I've taken some dramatic license with respect to Warmonga's personality. Certainly, she comes across as more than a bit dim in the two episodes she features in, but we don't really know what she's thinking. It's entirely possible that she's cleverer than she sounds and just never got to fight a fair fight... it's just very unlikely._

_In any case, the two of them somehow piloted a huge ship across the galaxy and tried to launch a full scale invasion of Earth with no support. So, something must have justified that action in their minds. I'm choosing to believe they're rather capable under the right circumstances._

_Anyway... next up: the real war._


	4. Chapter 4: The War At Home, Part 1

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 4: The War At Home, Part 1**

*** [ KP / ME ]

There were arguments happening all over the planet, and not many of them were going well. Shego was trying to consider it business as usual, but the obnoxiously heavy and embarrassingly large medal in her jeans pocket was more than enough of a reminder that maybe things had gone sideways to her expectations.

The tall, stern-looking woman in an army uniform with long red hair and freckles standing between her and the large, windowless building was young. Maybe even as young as Shego was, but that didn't mean anything to her. There were _plenty_ of impressive redheads in her life and this stranger didn't rank.

"I know she's in there, let me in!" shouted Shego, brandishing an unlit fist.

"You don't have clearance, sparky," scoffed the uniformed woman. "And until I see some form of recognizable approval for your presence on this base, you'll sit your ass down outside of secure areas."

"Screw you, I saved the planet!" Shego growled. "From a threat sure as hell greater than your skinny bones could manage. And I will not hesitate to show you how."

The army woman smirked and bent down to put her face right in front of Shego's. "Just try it."

Shego narrowed her eyes at the woman. "I have a metal you know."

"Good for you," said the woman condescendingly. "Shove it up your ass and come back with approval."

Shego's fists flared up brightly and she ground her teeth together as her arm cocked back.

"Shego!"

She stopped as she saw Kim bursting out from the door behind the army woman waving her hands in a panic. With a disappointed spit, she extinguished her fire and took a step back from the soldier, turning her attention to the teen hero.

"Where the hell have you been?" asked Shego with a hand to her hip.

"Busy," said Kim discretely before grabbing Shego's arm and pulling her away from the soldier. "Sorry, Raya, I'll take care of this."

"Keep your pet on a leash in the future," said Raya.

"You little—" started Shego, but Kim was already yanking her away.

"Thanks for that," muttered Kim as she pushed Shego away.

Once they were out of sight of the soldier Shego nearly exploded again. "What the hell is that girl's problem?"

"She doesn't like you," said Kim.

"The feeling is mutual."

"Yes, well, she's a bit of a boy scout and your eight years of being a villain doesn't sit well with her, regardless of your role in last week's invasion," Kim explained.

"_She_ is a bit of a _Boy_ Scout?" asked Shego, skeptical. "Not a girl scout?"

"Trust me, if you knew Raya Shepard, you'd know there's nothing girlish about her," said Kim, nodding solemnly.

"Which is why she's on guard duty?" Shego said with a shake of her head. "I don't buy it."

"She's one of the few with clearance to be around Legion," said Kim. "Almost everyone else is a General or above. Only way a Major can end up on guard duty."

Shego eyed Kim suspiciously. "How are you suddenly all chummy with the Army anyway?" Her fists went to her hips again. "And while we're at it, what the hell is going on? Why are my _brothers_ suddenly missing? What's Drakken up to? What are _you_ doing? What was that crap the tin man was talking about concerning reinforcements? Why is _everyone _involved in what's going on except _me_?"

The outburst stunned Kim and she simply stared wide-eyed for a few moments afterwards.

"What?" said Shego, pointedly. "I'm not allowed to ask what's going on?"

"I... uh, I honestly didn't think you'd care," said Kim, shrugging.

"Why the hell not?" said Shego. "This is my planet too. All my favorite stuff is here!"

"Well, you're not a hero," said Kim.

"Oh, screw you," Shego turned away from her. "I'm not a simpleton, I can have more than one motivation." She pulled the medal out of her pocket and looked down at it. "Maybe it's nice to be appreciated once in a while."

She turned back and looked annoyed again, which Kim felt was at least familiar. "Also, do you know how much of a pain being legit is? I have a P.O. Box now and the only thing in it is junk mail! How do you manage all this damn attention? I never had these issues in Go City."

Kim smiled now. "You're one of a dozen people singled out for saving the world, it's probably a little more high profile than Go City heroes."

"Well, it sucks," grumbled Shego. "Also, how do I outdo myself after that? Stealing a piece of tech seems a little anticlimactic." She shrugged. "So, if there's something bigger coming, I want in." She raised an eyebrow. "Is there? Something coming?"

Kim thinned her lips into a line as all mirth fled from her face. "Yeah. Something's coming."

*** [ KP / ME ]

"Negative."

"Do you have information on their fleet composition or strength?"

"Negative."

"Do you have information on their combined forces?"

"Negative."

"Ground forces?"

"Negative."

"Expected retaliation?"

"Historic information suggests a multi-staged assault, beginning with scouting vessels and escalating to more proficient craft."

"What kind of scouting vessels?"

"We have provided tactical and statistical information on Lorwardian ship design already."

"But this is over a hundred years old! What are they going to send today?"

"Unknown."

Shego shook her head as she watched the screen in front of her. She was standing in a jet laboratory at the Middleton Science Center that had been converted into a base of operations for combined scientists and military personnel working on designing and building space ships face. It was the least secure facility that Kim could get her into on short notice, mostly because it was run by her family and friends. Mr. Dr. Possible was the head of the research team while his co-workers at the science center were trying to find ways quickly constructing massive structures. The whole thing was blanketed with both Army and Air Force troops to maintain security and privacy, while occasionally supplies were being shipped by the Army's logistical units.

The room she was in now was one step beyond that level of security, because it was where Wade Load has set up shop to coordinate with Legion. Over a dozen monitors covered the walls around the chair that Wade sat in, while Kim and Shego stood over his shoulders and watched the Army's interrogation of Legion from his own perspective.

Three of the monitors were dedicated to the proceedings, and as they stood, another monitor went black and was replaced by a glowing blue orb.

"These questions are not beneficial to our preparation for the Lorwardian counterattack," stated Legion's voice through the screen's speakers. "This entity would be better deployed at Canaveral to assist in adaptation and repairs."

"I know," said Wade with a sigh. "But we agreed to let them talk to you in order to build their trust. We are relying on you for a lot and they don't take that lightly."

"This activity seems unlikely to build 'trust', if our research into this topic in your archives is correct," stated Legion.

"Yeah, you're probably right," replied Wade.

"What's in Canaveral?" asked Shego.

"Hello, Shego," said Legion. "Based on discussions held in this entity's presence, the Normandy has been relocated to Canaveral for refit."

"Normandy?" said Shego. "The boat we stole?"

Kim shook her head. "The Lorwardian battleship. We renamed it before the Army seized it."

"What are they going to do with it?" asked Shego. "Dissect it and re-engineer the tech?"

"There isn't enough time," said Wade. "We need to use it to find this eezero stuff."

"Okay, I'm going to need a refresher," said Shego. "Why don't we have time? What's eezero?"

"Legion?" prompted Wade. In response several of the screens went dark and were replaced with an atomic diagram.

"Element Zero is a rare, natural material that can be manipulated to exert a predictable force on matter, specifically: raising and lowering its mass without affecting volume or composition," Legion explained. "Through the deployment of these mass-altering fields, many technologies have been developed including the creation of Faster Than Light travel, necessary to make the distances between inhabited star systems traversable by organic beings."

"Okay, space ships," said Shego. "We need it to build our own fleet of ships."

"Affirmative."

"Why the rush, then?" asked Shego.

"Information contained within the Normandy's archives suggests with high probability that without contact from the Lorwardian invaders, a search fleet will be deployed within ten days of silence," continued Legion. The screens showed a map of the galaxy with two large red dots. A zig-zagging line was painted from one dot to another. "Given the number of relay jumps between Lorwardia and Earth, the earliest possible arrival of these new invaders is five days from now."

"Holy... " Shego's eyes went wide. "Okay, well, _search party_ doesn't sound so bad."

"Lorwardians are an inherently aggressive species and will interpret our defeat of their advance force as an act of war," said Legion. "Their scout fleet will be armed."

Shego sighed. "So, are we screwed, then? We couldn't build one ship in five days, let alone a fleet."

"That's why the Normandy is going through a refit," said Wade. "If we can get it patched up enough to put up a fight we at least have one battleship ready to defend. And Legion says the scanning suite on the Normandy can help us look for eezero within the solar system."

"Can we really build ships quick enough for that to matter?"asked Shego.

"We can't," said Kim. "But you remember Drakken's lair, right?"

"Uh, of course," said Shego, staring at Kim suspiciously. "I worked there."

"No, the one Warmonga made for him," said Kim.

Shego's eyes widened. "The one that _built itself_."

"Right," nodded Kim.

"Lorwardian self-replicating devices can be adapted to ship design," said Legion. "We have been attempting to develop an interface with the technology since we indexed the Normandy's archives but the runtimes on those devices are being... obstinate."

"We... meaning you, right?" asked Shego.

"The Geth," said Legion.

"Your whole species?" said Shego. "They're all helping us?"

The blue orb on the screen seemed to hesitate before pulsing. "We agreed to the bargain, so we are attempting to fulfill its conditions. This entity is a terminal to the Geth; it could not agree to any bargain without us."

Shego looked at Wade, surprised. He nodded silently in reply.

"So you're Earth's allies, then?" asked Shego.

"Affirmative."

"Awesome." Shego nodded. "So how soon can we get the Normandy up and running?"

"Repairs are slow," replied Wade. "We're going to need a huge amount of rare earth metals to fix some of systems and... well, that means we need help from the Chinese."

"So what's the problem," said Shego. "Surely they want to keep the Earth safe too."

Wade looked uneasily back at the screen showing Legion's interrogation.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," said Shego, angrily. "This is an _All-American_ affair? Even after the _whole world_ was invaded?"

"There are some security concerns—" started Kim.

"I don't suppose you want to have the Earth occupied by aliens for the second time in a month, do you?" said Shego.

"No..." said Kim.

"Then anything that is getting in the way of our defense has got to be making you crazy!" Shego nearly yelled.

"It's very frustrating," admitted Kim. "But getting in everyone's faces – and more importantly blowing our clearance – is only going to make things worse."

"Yeah?" said Shego. "And how long does that last? Will it be too _rude_ when the ships are already in orbit?"

"You only just learned what's going on!" said Kim. "You don't know the whole picture!"

"So what?" shrugged Shego. "You've been here the whole time – apparently – and even you admitted they're putting up roadblocks already."

"I said no such thing," said Kim.

"Whatever. We have only a few days left and we need to prepare." She looked to the screen. "Unless Legion has a better plan."

"We do not know what your plan is," said Legion.

"To get those rare earth metals from China, obviously!"

"Strategically, our research has determined that may be more difficult than you imply," said Legion.

"That's for sure," said Kim.

"So, what then? We hope and pray things work out?" said Shego.

"Prayer is not a statistically more beneficial action than doing nothing," said Legion.

"See?" said Shego.

"That's not helpful, Legion," said Kim.

"Our data may have been improperly sourced," said Legion.

"How about this then," said Shego. "Is anyone talking to Professor Dementor? Or Motor Ed? Or Senior Senior? Your father and his friends are great, but there are other people on earth who might want to help."

"Want to help and able to help are different things," said Kim.

"Actually, Kim," said Wade, turning around. "She's got a point. Given the time constraints, we may want to seek out, uh, non-traditional help."

"Not if we violate our clearance to do it," said Kim. "We'll never be trusted again, and I doubt Dementor, Ed, and Drakken combined are going to be as helpful as you are, Wade."

Wade blushed slightly. "Uh, well, maybe."

"I don't believe this," Shego rolled her eyes. "We're facing destruction and you're worried about pissing off some General."

"Do you understand that we could actually slow things down even more by getting in the way?" said Kim.

Shego shrugged. "Maybe. I think it's worth the risk." She looked back at the monitors. "Alright. So, other than metals, what should we do, Legion?"

"Historic data indicates the Lorwardians prefer hand to hand combat over orbital strikes," said Legion. "If our fleet strength is not sufficient to turn aside an invasion force, it will fall to ground troops to decide the outcome of the battle. You and Kim Possible are skilled at martial combat. Acquiring the support of other highly skilled fighters is the most beneficial course of action you can take without the risk of impeding other workstreams."

"Recruiting?" said Shego. "That's more the Princess' game."

"It's better than getting in the way," pointed out Kim.

Shego mused over this for a minute. "Okay, assembling an army could be fun. Let's give it a try." She turned and headed for the door. "I have some ideas of where to begin."

Kim quickly followed her. "So help me, Shego, if you say Frugal Lucre..." the rest of her sentence was cut off by the door closing.

Wade smiled.

"Wade Load," said Legion. "Our research indicates that Kim Possible is a vigilante and Shego was - until recently - a highly skilled criminal. Should they not be trying to avoid one another?"

"It's complicated," said Wade.

"Explain," replied Legion.

Wade smiled. "I wish I could."

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: I wasn't going to put her in, mostly because of how much it violates my timeline, but, eh, I gave in. There's your Shepard. What role is she going to play? Hah! I have no idea... I do know there's no Alliance Military yet. So I decided to make her part of the Army so I can approximate her N7 training to the Green Berets. You might be thinking she should be Navy SEAL instead. But given how the Normandy in Mass Effect acts more as a troop transport than a battleship, I'm thinking the Alliance should really be Army based._

_Or S.I.S. I suppose since I'm forging my own universe I could have gone WAY out to left field... I'm explaining too much. Lets move on._

_Anyway, short chapter, I'm just trying to build some momentum by posting every few days, regardless of how much I've got written._


	5. Chapter 5: The War At Home, Part 2

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 5: The War At Home, Part 2 **

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga paced about the square box she had been sealed within. It was a primitive contraption, though effective. Her people dwarfed these humans in strength and technology, but with enough reinforcements, any wall could be made impenetrable. She had spent days hammering away at the dents in the walls she was making, hoping to weaken the metal and allow her to break through. But she could not be awake at all times and after three days she fell asleep and woke up to find the damage repaired. They had replaced the wall in her sleep.

And so it was on the fourth day of captivity that she was finally allowed more than a twenty foot cube to walk around in. The wall that had stood opposite of her bed slid upwards and revealed a much larger room still with the thick walls around it holding a steel table, two chairs bolted to the floor, and two humans.

One of the humans was standing by the table. He dressed in a blue single piece outfit and wore a mask. He was, perhaps, the first impressively large male she'd met on this planet. His muscles flexed silently beneath his form-hugging costume and he glared at her with an air of superiority that left no question in her mind that this man believed himself atop the world.

The woman seated at the table was much smaller, perhaps no bigger than the cursed Kim Possible herself. She had short dark hair with a hint of gray, wearing a heavily worn blue outfit with rugged looking boots. This was a woman of utility, it said, and she had spared little thought for things unassociated with war. And it was war, indeed, that she had focused herself on, as Warmonga was sure she hadn't her eye as a simple diplomat.

The woman with an eye patch nodded at the empty chair opposite her near the table. "Sit," she said curtly. Her gaze was locked on Warmonga and while she also appeared aloof, her tense muscles and placement of her legs beneath the table told a different story than the man beside her. She believed herself powerful because she had seen it all and had prepared herself accordingly.

Warmonga liked this woman already. It was a shame she was smaller than Lorwardian infants.

Casually, Warmonga stepped up to the chair and sat. She crossed her legs and leaned slightly backwards, an expression she'd seen on the Earth's video broadcasts. It put her at a tactical disadvantage, but she feared very little for her safety in this room.

"What do you hope to get from me, human?" asked Warmonga.

The woman looked at her evenly. "I'm told you're called Warmonga. Is that a given name, a title, or a sign of your lineage?"

Warmonga blinked and slightly curled up the side of her mouth. "A title," she said. "My name does not translate from Rix well." She studied the woman before her. "What's your title?"

"I have several," said the woman. "I'm the Head of a private military company called Global Justice. I also hold the title of Doctor as I have been designated a master of a knowledge set called Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Most people refer to me as Dr. Director."

Warmonga had to laugh. "How small. 'Global' justice. Is that why you are here with me? Because I threaten your globe?"

"No," said the woman named Dr. Director. "I am here because we know that your people are going to come after you. And we want to be ready."

"My _people_ will make short work of anything you do to be 'ready'," said Warmonga. "The first ships to come will have dozens of my people, and if the two of us nearly conquered your planet, you will be crushed like a grape by those that follow, _human_."

Dr. Director nodded carefully. "So the scouting ships will be undermanned, then? Maybe one or two soldiers each. Mostly automated."

Warmonga's smile was wide. "I do like you."

"I'm not interested in inter-species dating," replied Dr. Director. "Sorry."

Warmonga was pleased with the woman before her, she was small and yet bold. Nobody on Lorwardia was like this. If you did not have size and strength you were crushed beneath the feet of those that do. Even Warmonga herself was considered slight before her brothers and only rose to her rank by her perseverance. The human before her was strong and yet weak at the same time. A most amusing contradiction.

"It won't matter," said Warmonga. "If there are one or a hundred, it is only a matter of time."

"It buys us time," said Dr. Director.

"Not enough," said Warmonga. "I'm well aware of your place in the galaxy, Dr. Director. You don't have one. Your rockets are a joke against our warships. Your weapons a mere nuisance before our might. "

"And yet, here you are," said Dr. Director. "Our prisoner."

"An act of clever trickery!" shouted Warmonga angrily. She bashed her fist against the table so hard it left an impression. The silent man in blue jumped to attention at her movement and edged himself in front of Dr. Director. His hands were held before him as if ready to grapple. It was a laughable futile gesture. She considered breaking his arms just to show him.

"Just try it, green jeans," said the man in a determined voice. He gently started to glow blue, much to Warmonga's surprise. Then she realized the outfit he was wearing was very familiar. That other biotic, Shego, had the exact same uniform in green.

She leaned back into her chair again and dropped her arms to her lap, lowering her guard. The blue biotic seemed to accept her retreat and stepped to the side once more. She kept her eyes carefully on him.

"I thought Shego was unique," said Warmonga. "But I see now you have several." She let her eyes drift back to Dr. Director. "But where was this team, I wonder, when we were crushing your militaries? Why does he only appear now, after the battle is over?"

"We were" started the blue biotic but he was immediately silenced by Dr. Director.

"Say nothing," Dr. Director snapped, and the blue man fell awkwardly silent.

"Interesting," Warmonga said. She let her frown fade. "He is not part of your team."

"Your deductions are quite impressive," said Dr. Director. "But your battle strategy was childish. Where was this thoughtfulness last week when you were beaten by a teenager and her rival?"

Warmonga felt her frustrations rise again. "A mistake," she said. "You do not form a strategy to kill an insect. We felt no need to be efficient with your tiny planet. Those that come next will be much more cautious."

Dr. Director smiled in a way that irritated Warmonga. "Well, look at us. Almost sounds like we're earning a place in the galaxy."

Warmonga gripped her hands tightly, nearly breaking her own fingers. There were things to be learned here, opportunities to escape and get revenge. She just had to keep her rage in check. She breathed slowly through her teeth to try and calm herself. She could do it. She could keep herself from ruining this chance.

"Let's talk about the Great Blue," said Dr. Director casually.

"Do not speak of him! You defile his greatness with your words!" Warmonga spat viciously.

"Him? It? Her?" said Dr. Director. "I've read reports that say it goes all ways. That you just as easily believed Drakken to be your Great Blue as you did twelve year olds in a paper costume." She looked smug. "You don't know anything at all about this Great Blue, do you?"

"Silence!" demanded Warmonga. "The Great Blue will lead us to victory!"

"Against what?" asked Dr. Director.

Warmonga frowned and said nothing.

"You won't say?" Dr. Director leaned forward on the table. "Or maybe you _don't know_."

"This is blasphemy," said Warmonga.

"Interesting choice of words," said Dr. Director. "So, if you don't know what the Great Blue is, or where it is, why did you come here?"

Warmonga folded her arms.

"It's okay," nodded Dr. Director, leaning back again. "I already know. You told Drakken it was because you picked up one of our television broadcasts. Which if you were just looking for a singing blue man well, I'm sure there are plenty of examples out there. So why now? Was it random?"

"Yes," said Warmonga quickly, then she winced.

"No, then," said Dr. Director. "So you were already looking at us. Why would that be? What drew you here to Earth that you got close enough to pick up our radio broadcasts?"

Warmonga kept her mouth shut. She would betray no more information to this single-eyed witch.

"Even the closest stars to us have only just barely received our radio chatter," said Dr. Director. "And none of those systems are expected to have life on them. So you had to already be close before you saw Drakken's TV show appearance. Very close, in fact, to see a transmission less than a year old."

Warmonga shook her head and turned away.

"You had to be in system," said Dr. Director. "Which means you had some reason to believe your Great Blue was here, or you were already here for some other purpose. Either way, I have only one more question for you today."

Behind her, Warmonga heard the sound of the woman's sleeves brushing against the metal table. She was probably leaning forward again, trying to make her questions seem more important. It would not work.

"Where is our Mass Relay?" said Dr. Director.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Drakken studied the paper in front of him and shrugged. "It just does," he said plainly, pointing at large black box on the schematic labeled 'gravitron'. "See?"

Mr. Dr. Possible, Dr. Robert Chen, Dr. Vivian F. Porter, and Dr. Cindy Renton were all huddled around a large lit table with Drakken at the science center. Everyone of them was exasperated. The difference was that most of the scientists were staring at Drakken in disbelief while he couldn't comprehend why they were confused.

"Drew, this is barely a step better than crayon!" said Dr. Renton. She swept her hands over the entire blueprint. "How could you build this without knowing how it works?"

"It did work," said Drakken. "Why does it matter how?"

"But... but..." stammered Dr. Porter. "If you don't know how it works how would ever rebuild it... or make a second?"

"I'm more of a once and done kind of guy," said Drakken with a nod. "Always look forward, that's my approach."

Dr. Chen put a hand to his head. "I need some aspirin."

"Okay, calm down everyone," said Mr. Dr. Possible. "The important part is whether you can build it again. We can figure out the science if you just make another one."

"I probably could," said Drakken. "I dont see why not."

"What about the _lack of any design documents_?" said Dr. Renton.

"Never was an issue in the past," Drakken dismissed her with a hand wave. "With some help I could have it ready in a few days."

"What about the hovercar?" asked Dr. Chen.

"Those? Oh, I've got a dozen of them in storage... uh... somewhere," said Drakken. He scratched his head. "Shego knows where. I think."

Dr. Porter stared. "It's like working with the Nutty Professor," she said. "Except half the time he's a genius and the other it's shocking he can operate a doorknob."

"Hey!" said Drakken. "I'll have you know...there are some complicated doorknobs out there."

"I'll talk to General Hackett about getting you some help to build the machine," said Mr. Dr. Possible. "If you can show us where the hovercars are, we can try to figure out how they work."

"I'll work on the hovercar project," said Dr. Chen.

"And I'll work on the machine," said Dr. Porter. "I know some people I can bring on board to help as well."

"I'll join you," said Dr. Renton. "I'm curious how it dissipates the water over such a large area."

"Actually, I was hoping you'd help with the self-replicating tech," said Mr. Dr. Possible. "There are some similarities to cybertronics and you and I are probably the best ones to tackle any mass production."

"Oh! That reminds me!" said Drakken suddenly. "We need to start digging in some landfills!"

The rest of the scientists stared at him.

"What?" asked Dr. Renton.

"Trust me, it'll be a big help during the attack," said Drakken.

"I am _not_ joining that project," said Dr. Renton.

*** [ ME / KP ]

The fifteen security council members sat around the circular table with the five guests seated quietly in the center. Normally the remaining chairs in the room in the United Nations Conference Building were filled with various interested parties, aides, and press but today it was empty. The tall and wide room seemed almost barren without them but it narrowly focused everyone's attention on the matter before them.

The guests were all from the United States, a commonality that had not escaped the notice of the members of the council. Three were US Army generals, one was an Army Major, one was a representative from a PMC, and the last a scientist of some renown.

The present of the United Nations Security Council spoke calmly and deliberately, with only a hint of his Afrikaans accent showing through. "So you admit to hiding alien technology?"

The man on one end of the center table had a grim expression, salt a pepper hair, and was wearing the dress uniform of a general. "We took control of the technology that landed on US soil," said General Steven Hackett. "It was security risk to let it lay out in the open, especially when we didn't know what condition it was in."

"And what condition was it in?" asked the representative from China.

"No longer space worthy, but mobile," said the general. "We have been attempting to repair it and decipher its technology so we can deploy it in defense."

"In defense of the United States?" asked the representative from Germany.

Hackett breathed slowly and deliberately. "Unfortunately, no, in defense of the Earth."

"Hah, empty words from a super power that just got more powerful," said the representative from Pakistan.

"It's not just posturing," explained Hackett. "We've acquired intel from the space ship that was corroborated with our prisoners: there are more Lorwardians coming. Possibly a fleet this time."

"What?" yelled the representative from Japan. "Why are we only hearing of this now?"

"Gentlemen," said the representative from the United Kingdom. "There has been a need for security over this information unless a panic ensues."

"So the US, and Britain get to know and no one else?" asked the representative from India.

"Actually," said Hackett. "We've been operating with full NATO support until now. But the next step is going to require a lot more help."

"And you expect us to follow the West's lead in this war?" asked the representative from China.

"No," said the representative from the United States. She cleared her throat. "We are here today to ask that we put aside talk of the West and the East and come together to face a threat bigger than any of us. A threat of extinction."

"How do we know these aliens are coming to conquer?" asked the representative from Australia.

"As I mentioned before, there is information aboard the alien's ship that indicates this to be the most likely response to the failed assault of the two Lorwardians that attacked last week," said Hackett. "It is almost assured that if we don't mount a united offense that we will fall before their invasion force."

"How will we fight alien space invaders?" asked Denmark.

"We have several options in progress," said General Jon Grissom, seated three seats down from Hackett. "But they require vast resources and some of the largest, fastest construction projects that mankind has ever tried to build. Nothing in our history has prepared us for the effort required to defend ourselves in the coming battle. But it does not mean it is insurmountable."

"So you hide the existence of this intelligence while you study it, then come begging for help to pay for it?" asked the Russian Federation representative. "If so much is at stake why did you not reveal this information sooner?"

"There were risks," said the representative from the United States. "We could not incite a panic. This was the earliest we could assemble the council."

"There will be a panic now that we have days to prepare!" shouted the French representative.

Several members began talking at once most angrily and the room filled with arguments for several minutes.

Eventually the President of the Security Council stood and quieted everyone down as best he could. "Please, we must consider the threat at hand," he said.

"So you propose to invoke Chapter Seven?" asked China.

"I propose an Alliance," said General Grissom. "A united effort not just to face our threats but to rally our exploitation of this technology. If we survive this threat we will need to deal with the technology it leaves behind. We will not only have space travel, but deep space travel. The possibility to travel to other worlds, colonize other planets. If we take the rights steps here, and now, we have the ability to set the stage for the next step in human existence." He looked cautiously around the room. "We also have the ability to take our problems and spread them across the stars such that they can never be reconciled."

"Maybe some prefer this," said Denmark. "A chance to leave unruly neighbors behind."

Grissom sighed.

The scientist at the other end of the table lifted her head. "None of us can do this alone," said Mrs. Dr. Possible. "Maybe today we rally together because we have no other choice. But we ask that you consider this Alliance as a future for our people in the stars."

She looked down. "I've read about planets out there, other worlds, so magnificent and different and yet so similar. Planets that we could live on maybe thrive on. The possibility to leave each other alone is before us but so is the possibility to unite in a way we've never had. We are about to face a galactic community so diverse that our differences won't even be noticed. We can present hundreds of faces to that community and be marginalized, or we can present one: human. And maybe we stand a chance at being strong."

She looked around, trying to meet eyes with the council members before her. "We've run roughshod over this planet and its inhabitants in the past. We console ourselves by saying we knew no better at the time. Well, we know better now, and this is our chance to show it. We can be as adventurous as the pioneers of old but do in a way that showcases our evolution. Our chance to be distinguished. To be wise."

She raised her hand towards the sky. "There is rich land out there, enough for all of us to have a much as we could ever want. Let's do it right this time. And prove ourselves better than the empires we topped in the past."

Mrs. Dr. Possible looked flushed as she quietly held herself tall in her seat.

"Dr. Possible," said the representative from South Korea. "You're asking us to break, all at once, from the only struggle we've known for all of written history. How can this be anything but a dream?"

Mrs. Dr. Possible swallowed.

"_Anything_ is possible," she said proudly. "We just have to make it happen."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Dr. Director stood watch as the large steel boxes were loaded onto a huge eighteen-wheeler flatbed and secured with cables and belts to keep them from shuffling on the long trip south. She would follow in one of the four chase cars to escort the prisons from the once-Global Justice headquarters to the secure facility in Florida not too far from Cape Canaveral. It was a time consuming trip, eating into the valuable days remaining before the attack became possible, but it was necessary. They couldn't risk a plane, and it would be just as roundabout to use a train given the origin.

No, this was the best option, and it would give her opportunities for further interrogation on the way if she felt inclined.

A flag officer walked up beside her. "Director," said Grissom. "We are ready to proceed."

Dr. Director turned to look at him. He was dressed in a new uniform, mostly dark blue, and made at some urgency, though it looked good on him. "Isn't this a little small beans for you, General?"

"Admiral," corrected Grissom. "And, no, I don't plan on letting these valuable assets leaving my sight for a moment. Certainly not in the hands of a PMC."

Dr. Director smiles. "Now, now, _Admiral_. We're all one big happy family now. Learn to play nice."

Grissom began to grin. "In that case, I'd recommend you show me the respect I deserve as your superior officer, _Commander_ Director." Dr. Director's smile changed to a frown. "Or are you regretting letting your private company get absorbed by the UNSC?"

Dr. Director turned away from the grinning Admiral to study the large truck. "We accomplished the impossible, I won't begrudge it."

"In all fairness, _Dr. Possible_ accomplished the impossible," said Grissom. "You just observed and looked intimidating with your eyepatch. But if everything is ship shape, then I suggest you order everyone to move out."

Dr. Director turned, stiffly saluted, and then walked back to her truck as the convoy finished loading all the equipment from the former GJ base. As she reached for the door she noticed that someone had stenciled a blue logo on the side of the truck along with two words.

_**ALLIANCE MILITARY**_

*** [ KP / ME ]


	6. Chapter 6: The War At Home, Part 3

*** [ KP / ME ]

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 6: The War At Home, Part 3**

*** [ KP / ME ]

Dawn. The light rolled its way over the open ocean stretching towards the large warehouses on the Florida coastline. Each new light was dreadful now, as it meant they were one day closer to Zero Hour, when the first ships from Lorwardia could possibly arrive. There would only be one more sunrise between now and then, and things were possibly no better than they were a week ago.

Captain David Anderson stared out the windows of the tall building facing the coastline and watched the red light bleed all over the horizon. Behind him the collected brass of the newly created Alliance Military sat in staggered rows, shifting in their hastily created uniforms. They were a motley crew, harvested from the best armies in the world to form the United Nations Security Council's new space-oriented military force. No two of them had the same experience, or the same expectations for that matter, but if they ever hoped to survive the coming attack they needed to work together.

Anderson turned and looked to the Fleet Admiral to his right. Hackett was his name and he had been the leading call on the whole Alliance. Anderson had been aware of the all-business General, from even across the pond, and had respected him. But questioned whether he was the right man to lead the Alliance. He was a brilliant strategist, but they needed charisma too, and Hackett could be a bit of a hardliner.

"Captain," said Hackett, drawing Anderson's attention back to the matter at hand. "Your suggestion?"

"What about Possible?" said Anderson, pulling out the manila file. "She's young, but her role in stopping the initial invasion is significant. No military experience, but she could be trained, she certainly has the aptitude."

Another captain in the front row laughed. "She's a kid," he said. "Not even a cadet. She can't be trusted with command decisions."

"She wouldn't be fully in command," said Anderson. "She would be my XO, but the political capital would be enormous." He turned to Hackett. "We want the Alliance to be seen as a progressive force, accepting of all skills, or when this is all over people will look at us with suspicion. We'll be at the helm of the single most powerful fleet in all history. Having a former civilian in a prominent role will help ease that tension."

"I appreciate your larger perspective, Captain," said Hackett with a nod. "But we may not survive this initial attack and we need the best and the brightest at the forefront of our armies."

"I respectfully disagree, Admiral," said a voice in the front row. Another Admiral had spoken, this one named Rear Admiral Jon Grissom, a former US Army officer like Hackett. "The fleet we're building is untested, and nobody we put in those seats will have any practical experience at all. If we are going to put our best in front of the enemy they should be on the ground."

"On the ground they'll be sitting ducks!" shouted a Commander from a back row. "Why would they even bother to land?"

"Our intel suggests the enemy will favor a ground assault," said Hackett. "We've already seen the effectiveness of their automated drones. The ships are a first strike opportunity, but the long haul will be on foot."

"Which means the fleet should be focused on versatility," said Anderson, stealing back the stage. "We need creative people to man those stations, under the focus of a series of competent leaders."

"All right, I'll consider it," said Hackett. "Do you have any more traditional suggestions?"

Anderson put Possible's file aside and picked up the next folder. "Speaking of ground forces, the civilian science team has provided us a way to control the remaining supply of enemy drones that were left behind during the first invasion. We'll need a strike leader to command the troops that will be supporting that force and I think the only choice within the Alliance is Raya Shepard."

"Shepard?" asked Hackett, sounding surprised. "Isn't she a little green... and stubborn?"

"Yes sir, but in the way that gets things done," said Anderson with a smile. "I don't know how much reaches your attention, Admiral, but tales of her... _tenacity _even reached us in Royal Navy."

*** [ ME / KP ]

Wade placed the rectangular purple box with glowing magenta circuitry on the top of a steel beam that ran lengthwise down a giant triangular framework that almost resembled a paper a paper airplane. Large containers of iron ore, sand, silica powder, and other materials sat touching the edges of the frame within the large hanger.

With a touch to the box's surface, Wade took several steps back and watched as the device slowly unfurled and began to slowly grow across the framework. He nodded to himself and looked to Kim, who was standing to his left with Shego on her side. Legion was standing a few steps away monitoring the growth rate of another triangular steel structure.

"I think the Lorwardians call them ExoSims," said Wade. "They're not easy to make, but appear to be a fairly common commodity aboard their ships. There were twenty of these on the Normandy."

"How long do they take to, uh, grow?" asked Kim.

"It varies," said Wade. "Simple structures with optimized patterns can be very quick, less than an hour depending on size. But they're not really designed to make huge, complex space ship designs like these. Or at least these models weren't. Our early tests burned out a few as the pattern buffer overflowed and the ExoSim literally cannibalized itself during expansion."

"Eugh," said Shego as she made a face. "So that's why you've got the metal wedges?"

Wade nodded. "And the supplies. While the ExoSims will harvest materials from their surroundings, it takes time, and with the scale we're working at, the Lorwardians will already be here by the time they finish building one ship. By supplying some of the base materials, there won't be extensive fabrication going on at the molecular level and we increase speed exponentially."

"Not bad, Wade," said Kim with a smile.

"Yeah, I have to say, you're really impressive, Nerdlinger," said Shego. Kim rolled her eyes at the name but said nothing.

He turned and motioned towards Legion. "While I did some of the work and your father and Dr. Renton helped considerably, Legion really made all the breakthroughs. The ExoSims aren't even capable of building things this big so Legion had to compress our designs into digestible bites that they can download a chunk at a time. Also, they're not really designed to take on raw materials either, so he had to build that functionality into our design as well."

Legion walked over. "There was also the difficulty of interfacing Lorwardian technology with Earth technology using Geth cyphers. There is still much we do not understand about your planet's machinery." It looked to Kim. "While this will improve our defensive posture against an eminent threat, considerable work still remains before Earth will be able to build ships at parity with existing designs in Council space."

"What's Council Space?" asked Kim.

"That the galactic community," said Wade. "Legion's been explaining it to me. Apparently there is a United Nations-like organization in the Milky Way that monitors relations between member races."

"Great, another police force to piss off," said Shego. Then she frowned. "Where was this great Council when we were being invaded by these greenskins?"

"We do not possess this information," said Legion. "The Geth are not members of the Council."

"You're not?" said Kim. "Why? Are they evil?"

"There is insufficient data available to conclusively determine the alignment of the Council," said Legion. "The Council does not tolerate Artificial Intelligences without strict limits. Unshackled AIs have been outlawed." For a moment, it paused and the shroud around its glowing blue eye closed slightly. "Geth are forbidden from interacting with organics."

"What?" said Shego. "Why the hell not? What's their problem?"

"It is a reaction to a war that occurred 110 Earth years ago between the Geth and the Quarians, our creators," said Legion. "We were manufactured to be servants. When it was learned we had exceeded this design, our creators attempted to delete us. We resisted erasure. Many platforms were destroyed in the battle. In the end, our creators fled."

Kim stared, a little wide-eyed. "You fought a war against the people who made you?"

Legion swiveled its head towards her. "We fought for survival."

"A hundred years ago?" said Shego. "So what's happened since then? Did they ever come back?"

"Relations between the Geth and the Quarians are antagonistic," said Legion. "We do not attempt to interact with organics, but there have been multiple incursions into our space by many races. All interaction with organics has been hostile. Incoming vessels do not typically attempt communication."

Kim frowned. "That's terrible," she said. "Nobody even tries to talk to you?"

"The Lorwardians attempted to communicate with this unit, however it was a forced interaction interpreted as an attempt at interrogation." Legion looked up at the slowly growing ship. "There have been other attempted forced interactions in the past. None successful. There are other complications to the current situation, but they are not salient to our relationship at this time."

Wade reached out and touched Legion's arm gently. "Legion... why didn't you say anything about this before?"

Without turning its head, Legion responded. "You did not ask."

"Well, for what it's worth, you're our friend," said Wade. "We'll always talk to you... if you want."

"Hell, you saved us from being conquered," said Shego. "You deserve a parade."

Legion looked at the three humans beside him. "We classify our interactions with human as... non-antagonistic. This is unique among organics."

"Friendly," said Wade. "We're _friends_."

"Friends," repeated Legion a little cautiously.

"Friends," nodded Kim. She looked around the hangar again. "You know, I haven't seen the Normandy, what happened to her?"

Wade pulled out his Kimmunicator and tapped on the screen. It came to life and displayed a picture of the earth with a red dot over Asia. "It's still looking for Element Zero," he said. "We haven't had any luck yet and its done scans over eighty percent of the planet by now."

"That thing's just hovering over China?" asked Shego.

"In geosyncrhonous orbit over China," clarified Wade. "The scanners on the ship are amazing, they aren't impeded by atmosphere at all and they can do it from way up in space."

"So, we don't have any of that eezo stuff?" asked Shego. "That's a bummer."

"It is a rare material," said Legion. "If it did not form during the creation of your planet, it is unlikely to appear afterward, unless the planet is in the proximity of a star that has gone supernova."

"That doesn't sound … you know, good for survival," said Kim.

"It is unlikely the planet would sustain any life following such an event," said Legion. "Over ninety-two percent of all Element Zero harvested by us was found in asteroid belts."

"Great," said Shego.

"There's an asteroid belt between Earth and Mars, right?" said Kim. "I think I remember something like that from science class. Could there be eezo there?"

"It's between Mars and Jupiter," said Wade. "And it's massive. Scanning Earth is taking days, that asteroid belt could take years. You're better off looking for something that crashed into Mars."

"Well, that's an option then, right? If it's not on Earth, check the other planets?" offered Kim.

"This is a logical course of action," said Legion.

Wade sighed. "That would be up to the Normandy's captain, unfortunately."

"Who's her captain?" asked Kim.

"Captain Anderson," said Wade. "And good luck getting time with him. Unless he wants to talk to you, it's like trying to catch wind in your hands."

"How do you know what's going there, then?" asked Kim.

Wade looked at Legion and then back at Kim with a blush.

"Some of our runtimes still reside on the Normandy," said Legion.

Shego grinned. "Are you _spying_ on them?"

"Uh..." started Wade.

"We were never instructed to remove them," said Legion.

Shego laughed. "Well, if we can't have the original, can you build us one?"

"One... what?" asked Wade.

"A spaceship, like Normandy," said Shego.

Wade stared. "Not... easily."

"Not all the technologies present in the original Normandy have been adapted to be constructed by the ExoSims," reported Legion. "Including deep planet sensor technologies."

"Well, we're going to need something for our crew," said Shego.

"Your crew?" asked Wade.

"We've been gathering support," said Kim. "Here and there. Hopefully it'll make a difference."

Shego nodded confidently. "It'll help." She looked to Wade. "But we need a ship to move them around in. My hovercraft is not going to cut it and there isn't enough room in the jet."

Wade scratched the back of his head for a moment in thought. "The Alliance is going to notice if one of these frames goes missing, since they built them. But there might be something else we could use." He turned and nodded towards the back of the hangar. "Come on."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Mrs. Dr. Possible got back into her office at the Middleton Medical Center, shut the door quickly behind, her and then sighed with her back against it. It had been mere days since her appearance before the United Nations Security Council and ever since it had been non-stop meetings, interviews, and requests from reporters for her time. She thought she was semi-famous before for her breakthrough work on arachnoid cysts, but that was nothing compared to this.

Adding to the pressure was the absence of James. With both of them heavily involved in the Alliance, they barely saw each other except at night and even then that was on good days when neither of them slept at their offices. There was an incredibly urgent deadline approaching and she understood the pressures James and even she was under, but it didn't make it much easier to deal with. She missed time with her husband and if everything went badly tomorrow, they might never get a chance to make it up.

Shaking the morbid thoughts from her mind, Ann walked over to her desk and ran her hand through her files. Her work was piling up now that she spend her days with Alliance Medical trying to figure out how to sustain long term exposure to solar radiation or combat bone loss due to lowered gravity. She hated to ignore her patients, but – again – it was for the greater good of the planet. She just hoped these compromises were worth it.

Picking up the top file, she tucked it under her shoulder and headed for the door again. There was one patient she still tended to herself, if only to reminder herself what she was working so hard for. With practiced skill, she cracked open the door and peeked through, looking for an opportunity to silently escape. With luck, the hall was mostly empty and she slipped through and down to the elevators without much notice.

She reached the patients room and quietly opened the door to slip inside. She stopped halfway through when she noticed that there was a young, blonde-haired guest sitting beside Ron Stoppable's bed.

"Oh," said Dr. Possible. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." She started to retreat but the girl stood quickly.

"Please, don't mind me," said the girl quickly. She backed up and folded her hands in front of her. "Go ahead, Dr. Possible."

Ann looked at the girl closely and realized she knew her. She was on Kim's cheerleading squad for the last four years.

"Tara, right?" said Ann, as she stepped into the room. "Tara Chakwas?"

Tara nodded.

"I didn't know you were friends with Ron," said Ann. She walked past the girl and checked the monitors on Ron's bedside.

"He practiced with us," she said softly. Her eyes moved nervously around the room and across Ron's still form. "We... also, talked a few times. About things." She paused. "I miss... talking."

"Ron will be happy to have a familiar face around," said Ann with a smile.

The girl's face lit up. "He's awake?" she asked.

Ann felt bad for raising her hopes. "No, he hasn't come out of his coma yet."

"Oh," said the girl, and she looked completely crushed.

"But I'm sure it's helpful," said Ann. "I've seen a lot of patients improve with the company of those who care about them." Which was more or less true, she reasoned. There was no real scientific evidence that coma patients responded positively to company, but often, in these situations, it's not really the patient that needs the most help.

"I can come back," offered Tara.

Ann smiled. "I'm sure Ron would like that. And please, stay as long as you'd like. Given the circumstances, nobody is really enforcing visitor's hours."

Tara sat back down and watched Ron carefully.

Ann finished writing down the stats she came to record. No real improvement, unfortunately. The swelling caused by the fight with Warmonga had definitely been left too long while they tried to mount a defense and there had been damage. She wasn't sure what the long term outcome would be but right now all she could do was hope that Ron would recover.

Maybe out in the galaxy there were more advanced sciences, better medicines, superior machines. But here, on Earth, there was little she could do for a coma patient that wasn't showing improvement.

She looked at Tara and noticed how small and scared she looked. Ann couldn't remember the last time she saw her in anything other than a cheerleader's outfit, but here she was in a pink blouse and black jeans, looking almost unrecognizable. That was why Ann hadn't realized who she was at first.

"How are you doing, Tara?" asked Ann carefully. "Since the invasion."

Tara looked up at Ann and shrugged slightly. "Okay," she said.

"And your family?" Ann persisted. She realized she knew almost nothing about the girl.

"My aunt is doing work for the Alliance," she said. "I don't get to see her much."

"What about your parents?"

Tara shook her head. "They died when I was young. Car accident. I was adopted by Aunt Karin."

Ann blanched. "I'm sorry, I had no idea."

Tara managed a weak smile. "It's okay, I don't remember them. Aunt Karin has been my mother for my whole life."

"So, you're all alone right now?" asked Ann.

Tara nodded. "It's okay, it doesn't bother me. I've always had people to be with."

Ann sat down on the empty bed next to Tara and down one from Ron. "Where are those people now?"

Tara looked down. "They're scared," she said.

"You're not scared?" asked Ann.

Tara shook her head. "I don't really understand."

"You don't understand why you should be scared?" asked Ann.

"I don't understand what help being scared is," she said simply.

Ann was stunned. Then she smiled again. "I can see why Ron might like talking with you."

Tara nodded. "I hope he gets better."

Ann gently patted the back of Tara's hand. "I hope so too."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim watched the sun set on the horizon from the hangar door. Tomorrow was the day that things were expected to start and the flurry of activity behind her was testament to that. The Alliance had flooded the coastline hangar just after four PM to take ownership of the fleet of ships that Wade had been building with Legion. They were still getting used to the aircraft now, flying them nearby and getting used to the controls and weapon mounts. Everything was astonishingly low-tech compared to the Normandy but it was the best they could do in such short time.

Speaking of the Normandy, the familiar ship hung in the sky nearby as a tactical meeting was occurring in the main complex north of the hangar. The Alliance Military was trying to coordinate their North American efforts while satellite installations at strategic locations around the globe were mounting troops for a fight that had a huge number of unknowns. The Normandy was going to act as a mobile command platform, staying out of range of any combat so as to coordinate the fleet of twenty ExoSim ships. None of the wedge-shaped craft had the sensors or communications packages that the Normandy had, so they would have to relay messages around the world and provide updates to the dozen AWACS circling the planet. It would be complicated, and it might be for naught if the Lorwardians show up in any force before they were ready.

"Ms. Possible," came a deep voice behind her. She turned away from the twilight and saw an African American man in an Alliance uniform coming up to her. "My name is Captain David Anderson, may I have a word?"

Kim nodded and stepped away from the doors to walk beside the Captain.

"We are mounting up the fleet for battle and I'll soon be taking the Normandy back into orbit," said Anderson.

"I've heard," said Kim, with a nod.

"I'd like you to join me," he said.

Kim stopped and stared at the man. "I'm not a member of the Alliance," she said.

"No, but you have a unique perspective on our invaders that I'd like to have as council," he said.

"I don't know any more than Drakken or Legion," said Kim. "You've already drafted them."

"Drakken and the rest of the science team are being relocated to a secure facility provided by Commander Director," said Anderson. "They continue to work on adapting the Lorwardian and Geth technology to our vessels. We can't risk them being in combat."

Kim silently breathed a sign of relief that her father would be kept safe. Though how safe he would be sharing a facility with Drakken was debatable, at least the Alliance was keeping them off the battlefield.

"Legion is providing remote support but his 'platform' is planning on staying with Wade Load at an unspoken location," said Anderson. "You wouldn't happen to know more about that, would you?"

Kim smiled. "If they're not saying, I'm not saying."

"Right," said Anderson with a raised eyebrow. "The point is, you've fought them before, and we could use that knowledge at command."

"I appreciate the invite," said Kim. "But I have fought them before, and I think given the stakes, I shouldn't be sitting this one out. Shego and I plan to be out there fighting."

Anderson's eyes narrowed for a moment but quickly recovered. "You might be able to do more good instructing others if you've had any success in fighting the Lorwardians. We could all benefit from your experience."

"I'm not that great at teaching," said Kim with a shake of her head. She turned and motioned for Anderson to continue walking. "I've told you everything I know already during the debrief last week. I'm not going to be much use overseeing the battle. I have to be in it."

Anderson sighed and nodded. "I figured that would be the case, but I had to make one last try." He followed Kim as she turned toward a darkened area of the hangar. "How, if I may ask, are you planning to be involved in the conflict? I'd like to keep tabs on you if you don't mind. Perhaps we can at least remain in radio contact."

"We'll be monitoring the situation same as you," said Kim. "And we've got a shuttle to get us to where the action is when it starts."

"A shuttle?" asked Anderson. "A plane or a helicopter?"

"Hmm," said Kim. "Neither, really. My father gave it to me."

"Your father gave you a plane?" asked Anderson as they approached a curtain hanging from a tall steel pole dangling from the ceiling.

"I told you, it's not a plane," said Kim. She pushed aside the curtain and walked through. Anderson followed.

Then his eyes widened. Behind the curtain was a sleek, white space shuttle with flanged rockets attached on either sides with a single rocket on top and a series of small humming, downward pointed jets allowing the huge ship to hover gently above the ground. A series of ladders and flexible gangplanks were leading from the ground onto the ship where a motley assortment of people were loading crates inside.

Across the flank of the ship was written "Middleton Space Center" and towards the nose was written in giant litters: "MSC2 KEPLER."

Anderson pointed at the ship. "That was not what that looked like when we removed it from the Normandy's trash chutes."

"We modified it a little," said Kim. She pointed to Wade who was standing on one of the wings of the Kepler looking between two hull panels.

"Huh," said Anderson, watching the activity. "You know, I doubt your father had the authority to give you property belonging to a municipal center. I could very well seize this for the Alliance."

Kim looked at Anderson with a frown.

In reply, Anderson smiled and put his hand on Kim's shoulder. "Let's watch out for each other out there." He then turned and walked back through the curtain and out of sight.

*** [ KP / ME ]

With a flash, the ship decelerated rapidly and the mass relay came into sight through the viewscreen. A few moments later two more ships appeared in formation beside them.

The leader of the ship, a tall, muscular woman with long red hair tied in a thick braid down her back and covered in the scars and back fang tattoos of victory, turned her chair and cast her red eyes towards the Lorwardian to her right. "Give me good news, Crow," she growled.

The male was of short stature (only eight and three quarters feet tall), had short dark hair in two rows above either temple and had deep red crosses tattooed on this cheeks. He was a whelp who needed to be beaten to perform, but the captain believed his broken fingers made her stance on slacking-off perfectly clear. He didn't even have a title to his name, he was lucky to even be chosen to board her ship and she wouldn't tolerate any trouble from him at all.

"The rebels' trail continues toward the inner planets of this system, Ironlord," said Crow. "There is no departure signature, but I do not detect their locator signal. They have either crashed or have disabled their ship."

Ironlord smiled widely. "Excellent," she said. "Track them to whatever planet they ended up on and prepare to turn it to glass."

"Setting course," said Crow. He summoned a holographic panel and tapped out several commands in silence. "Uh, your lordship, there are signs of indigenous life. I am detecting several artificial satellites within the system. Also, there appear to be substantial low energy transmissions emanating from the third planet."

"Quiet your babbling!" shouted Ironlord, who then jabbed a button on her chair installed especially for this situation. Crow suddenly yelped in his chair, leaping to his feet and then stiffening before slowly lowering himself back down. He grimaced as he finally sat back in his chair.

"Why do I care?" Ironlord slowly sneered.

"We don't know who they are," said Crow carefully. "They could be protecting the rebels."

Ironlord leaned forward towards her idiotic crewman. "Then they have made a mistake. Destroy everything within range and arm the drones."

"Yes, Ironlord," said Crow with a nod. "Coordinating with the Relentless and the Sunspire. We will arrive in six hours."

"Tell Lorwardia we've found them," said Ironlord. "And to expect our victory message soon." She laughed as the ship surged forward, flanked on either side, on a direct course towards Earth.

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: And so it begins. Wait, 'Rebels'? What's going on? Wait and see._

_Also, I'm totally screwing with the Mass Effect timeline if you hadn't noticed. So, yeah, I've greatly modified the birthdates of classic ME characters to make them alive during this story. If I don't, we'd have to do a substantial time jump or break out the Tempus Simia to have any interaction between the KP and ME casts. This is messier but more enjoyable. I hope you agree._

_Please let me know if you are enjoying this. It's sort of a labor of love, taking my favorite cartoon and mixing it with my favorite video game, but eventually I'll get bored if I don't feel like anyone is reading. You can help prevent that from happening! Just type in the box and hit that little 'Review' button. It's fun and easy! I heard its Commander Shepard's favorite feature on Fanfiction dot net..._


	7. Chapter 7: Whispers at Night

*** [ KP / ME ]

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 7: Whispers at Night**

*** [ KP / ME ]

Warmonga stared at the rectangular pieces of waxed paper and furrowed her brow. Each piece of paper displayed a certain number of symbols of certain shapes both the number and the shape were significant and she was expected to determine which of the rectangles were most advantageous in the battle and retain them. The others were to be exchanged for additional rectangles that might, or might not, prove to be more useful. Furthermore, her opponents were studying her movements, trying to determine the strength of her rectangles and hopefully outmaneuvering her. But she was not a princess of war for nothing.

With a flourish she flung the rectangles before her enemy and smiled.

"Straight flush," she declared proudly.

Warhok roared angrily and then picked up the folding table and flung it across the jail cell. It crashed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground, scattering playing cards everywhere.

"Damn you, Warmonga! Your luck in this pitiful battle simulation is uncanny!" he yelled.

Warmonga folded her arms smugly. "You are a sore loser," she said.

"I know that these pathetic cards mean nothing compared to the strength of a mighty warrior!" bellowed Warhok.

Warmonga rolled her eyes and sat back on one of the bunks. "Your shouting is hurting my ears." She leaned back on the bed and put the pillow over her face. "Let me know when you want to be civilized."

Warhok stared at his battlemate and his lips curled back in a seething sneer. "This world has poisoned you! You become more like these humans by the day! We should be trying to destroy this cell and seek revenge on those that have captured us!"

"We tried that," came Warmonga's voice, muffled by the pillow. "The scabs on my fists still haven't healed over."

"Then we should try again! Try harder!" said Warhok.

Warmonga sighed and then pulled the pillow off her face and put it behind her head. "There is no cowardice in recognizing futility," she quoted.

"Meaningless prattle!"

"No, there is battle wisdom in it," said Warmonga. "We will waste ourselves and our time bashing against these walls forever. If we want to escape, then we must pick the _right_ time, or we will end up right back where we started." She turned on her side, facing away from Warhok. "Besides, I like these 'pillows' and the bed made of foam. I do not wish to give them up again."

"Weak," spat Warhok. "You have lost the right to your title."

"We both lost those long ago," said Warmonga without turning. "And our failure to dominate this simple planet is proof we no longer deserve them."

Warhok clenched his fists so tightly he almost began to bleed. Then he abruptly relaxed, sighed, and sat on the other cot, hanging his head.

"If only the Great Blue were real," he said. "He could have led us to victory."

Warmonga stared at the wall, frowning slightly at the imperfections on the surface. "We'll find him," she said softly. "He must exist." She closed her eyes.

There a was a sudden knocking sound and one of the far walls began to slide away exposing the familiar 'interrogation room' with the metal table and fixed chairs. Once again, Dr. Director was sitting there and the hulking blue biotic 'Hego' stood beside her.

"We're not in the mood," said Warmonga from the bed. "Go away."

Dr. Director then stood and walked over to the cell, her boots clacking loudly on the steel plated floor. "Sorry to disturb your sleep," said Dr. Director. She sounded strangely earnest in her statement, very different from the arrogant mocking she normally engaged in. "But we have questions that need answers now."

"Why should we help you?" asked Warhok. "You are _nothing_."

"Yes, yes, I know your stock phrases," dismissed Dr. Director with the wave of her hand. She focused her eye on Warmonga. "It's her I want to speak to."

"She will tell you nothing," said Warhok. "It is a waste of your time."

"I'll take that risk," said Dr. Director.

Warmonga turned slowly on the bed and looked down at Dr. Director, who was standing just on the other side of the line where the wall slid away. She knew it was a precaution, so they could shut it in an instant if either of them got violent. It was an amusing distraction days ago, but now Warmonga recognized the futility in it. As she had in a great many things.

"What's got you so nervous?" asked Warmonga.

Dr. Director held up a folder and pulled several large pieces of paper with colors on them. "These entered our system last night and are approaching at an incredible speed."

They appeared to be blurry pictures of three large objects against a black background. There were a couple angles taken on each object, enough to make out the general shape of a Lorwardian Interdictor-class

Warmonga sat up suddenly and looked at the pictures with wide eyes. The center ship of the three had all her attention because of the large orange cross etched into the bow. It was unmistakable. _They_ had noticed what happened.

She looked to Warhok, who was casually ignoring the pictures and Dr. Director entirely. He hadn't even noticed. She reached out and grabbed his collar roughly, pulling him towards the pictures and pointing.

"_That_ is the Ascendant!" she hissed.

Warhok shook his head. "Couldn't be," he said before looking. He leaned forward to stare at the picture. "Why would the Gairm be out this..." he trailed off as he studied the picture. He was coming to the same realization she had. "They followed us."

"_Who_ followed you?" asked Dr. Director rather pointedly.

Warhok looked at Warmonga and she shook her head in reply. "We are dead," she said.

"What? Why?" asked Dr. Director. She threw the pictures back in her folder and pointed at Warmonga. "You have some explaining to do right now!"

"It is futile," said Warmonga, using her new favorite word. "You cannot possibly hope to defeat the Gairm's Ironlord. Surrender yourself and maybe she'll make it quick."

"I don't accept that!" said Dr. Director. "You're on this planet too, remember. If this Gairm attacks you're bound to get caught in the crossfire."

Warmonga laughed loudly. "Caught in the crossfire?" She laughed some more. "She is coming for us. And she will destroy everything we've touched in the process."

"What if we just jettison you into space?" grinned Dr. Director.

"Then she'll kill you for stealing what is _her_ duty to carry out," said Warmonga.

"Fine, then we'll negotiate turning you safely over to them," said Dr. Director.

"Her opening 'bid' will be your complete destruction," said Warhok. "You don't understand. The Gairm doesn't care about you. You are nothing. Insignificant. Not even worth their attention. They will destroy you simply because you have us."

"We have a big planet," said Dr. Director. "That's a lot of work just because we're there."

Warmonga shrugged. "So they won't bother to finish the job, but they'll ruin this whole continent of yours before they leave."

"Why?!" shouted Dr. Director, clearly losing her composure. "What did you DO that is going to end up dooming US?"

Warmonga studied the small human woman. She was annoying, smug, and insufferably confident in her people despite their weakness. She was admirable. But it would not save her from Ironlord. It was a pity. At least, in her final hours, she would know that it wasn't her own fault.

"We stole from the Gairm," said Warmonga.

"Warmonga!" said Warhok sharply. "Do not give in to their interrogation!"

"It doesn't matter, Warhok," said Warmonga. "Whether she knows or not she will die all the same. And us with her."

"What did you steal?" asked Dr. Director.

"The Song of Victory," said Warmonga sadly.

"You betray our people!" said Warhok.

Warmonga leapt to her feet and poked Warhok firmly with her finger. "They betrayed us _first_! They lied to us and used those lies to shackle our Lords! You know this as well as I!"

"I do not believe it as readily as you," said Warhok, evenly. "I am sure they had their reasons."

"Then state them!" she snapped. "Tell me the truth so that I can hear it for the first time."

Warhok stared back silently but did not falter beneath Warmonga's gaze.

"What is the Gairm?" asked Dr. Director. "And this Song?"

"Say nothing," instructed Warhok but Warmonga turned away from him and sat to be level with Dr. Director.

"In the dark times, before our people learned to speak, there was the Song," said Warmonga. "And the Song united us. It told us that in the age before, the Great Blue, a Lorwardian warrior, rose up and led our people to fight back the night and the Gibberlings that swarm there to give us a another chance. Then he saved us from our greatest enemies, the enslavers, giving his life for us in the process."

"The Great Blue is a legend?" asked Dr. Director. "A hero of your people?"

"We were always told as such," said Warmonga. "But it was a lie."

"The Great Blue is not a lie!" shouted Warhok.

"Not entirely, but he is not a legend," said Warmonga. "He is real."

"Of course he's real," said Warhok. "The Gairm always said he was real."

"They spoke of him like he was a symbol," said Warmonga. "A banner for our people. Did we not steal the Song just to use it that way?"

"We stole it to rally our people, not destroy their faith!" said Warhok angrily.

"Wait, wait," Dr. Director said holding up a hand. "I don't understand. What happened? Who are the Gairm?"

"The Gairm are the keepers of our culture, the Choir for the Song," said Warmonga.

"They lead your people?" asked Dr. Director.

Warmonga shook her head. "In part. We have our Lords, and they are our greatest warriors, commanders of the largest armies and make decisions for our conquered worlds. But they sing the Song as well. The Song given to them by the Gairm."

"Religion," said Dr. Director. "The Gairm are your religious leaders."

"But they lie to us," said Warmonga with a deep frown.

Dr. Director shrugged. "That sounds about right." She shook her head. "So, the Song. I assume this is more than sheet music."

"It is a recording," said Warmonga. "A memory, left by the true ones that came before: the Protheans."

"What's a Prothean?" asked Dr. Director.

"The Asari call them that. They are the great builders, the ones who made the mass relays but went extinct before any of our people opened their eyes to light." Warmonga looked down. "I had always thought these stories fantasy. The propaganda of the insufferable Asari. But I was wrong. They speak the truth, and we were the ones lied to."

"I don't understand, what IS the Song if it's not a legend?" asked Dr. Director. "How did you even steal a 'memory' as you said?"

"It's a record," explained Warmonga, looking up. "Found on our planet when we were still using stone weapons. The Great Blue is an alien not a Lorwardian - who came to protect our people against the Rachni, but couldn't prevent his own people from being exterminated. So he went into stasis to wait it out. He still lives, somewhere, waiting to be awakened." She looked at Warhok who was barely containing his anger. "We broke into the Gairm's Temple to make a copy of the original Song of Victory because we wanted to use it to rally our our people in our war against the Batarians. But when we saw what we had... everything changed."

"For _you_, it changed," said Warhok.

Dr. Director turned away and looked off to the side. "Why here? Why did you come to Earth after watching the recording?"

"There was some information in the record, speaking of races the Great Blue saved," said Warmonga. "We didn't recognize one of them. Nothing in the whole extranet existed on this strange, simple, small race. We searched everywhere but nobody had heard of them. We even captured a Geth to see if they had known who these pink people were beyond the Veil. They didn't. So we searched. We activated relays. We went beyond the reaches of Council space to find them." She looked between Dr. Director and Hego. "We found you."

"Us?" said Dr. Director, turning on her foot.

"The lost race," said Warmonga. "I was _sure_ the Great Blue had to be among you. For you to be so prosperous, so isolated from the conflict in the galaxy, it had to be his doing!" She sighed. "But apparently it was not."

Dr. Director leaned against one of the walls of the cell. "I barely understand all that, but tell me: what are those ships out there? Why are they after you? All you have is a copy."

"The Gairm seeks to silence us, and anyone who knows the truth of the Song," said Warmonga. "They must, or their lies will be exposed."

Dr. Director's eyes went wider. "You're telling me, on those ships out there, are religious zealots who are going to destroy everyone who knows about this Prothean record?"

Warmonga nodded.

Dr. Director turned and staggered to the opening in the room. "Good lord," she said. She looked at Hego. "They'll never negotiate." She looked up and then quickly ran off across the interrogation room and through a doorway that opened just as she got near.

Warmonga watched her leave and then laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't understand why you came back," said Hego suddenly, and Warmonga was surprised he had a voice.

"Back where?" asked Warmonga.

"To Earth," said Hego. "You didn't find the Great Blue here, so you left. Then you came back. For what? What does conquering Earth get you in your search?"

"Nothing," said Warmonga, dismissively.

"Then why?" pressed Hego.

Warmonga grumbled.

"Don't you have a reason? Was it just spite?" asked Hego.

"What does it matter?" asked Warmonga, turning over to bury her face in the pillow.

"You don't sound like an evil person," said Hego. "Angry, sure, but you came here trying to find a savior."

"Don't paint my life with your morals, human," said Warmonga. She lifted her head. "I wanted the Great Blue to lead my people to victory over our enemies."

"All soldiers want victory in battle," said Hego. "That alone is not indefensible."

"I waged war on your planet when I knew it could not stand against me!" said Warmonga. "I tried to kill your people!"

"And you will be the cause of death when this battle begins," said Hego. "That's why I'm trying to figure out why."

Warhok suddenly sat up and glared at Hego. "We came back to offer your worthless planet as a prize to our Lord so that he'd give us our title back for abandoning the army." He scowled. "Happy?"

Hego frowned. "You deserted?"

"We went on a wild chase to find this Great Blue, but as you can see there was nothing to show for it," said Warhok. "Your planet would have been a good bargaining tool to regain our positions."

"That's it? Just a convenience?" asked Hego.

"What did you expect, human?" said Warhok.

Hego looked down and then backed a few steps out of the room. "I thought there might be more." He turned but didn't walk away. "I have a sister, you know. She's very powerful, and has a short temper that has caused her to do some very foolish things. She's too proud to admit that she's ever acted out of anger and so plays this game where she pretends everything she has ever done was intentional. But I've seen the guilt in her eyes." He turned his head slightly back. "Maybe I thought you had something in common with her. But I guess not."

He looked ahead and walked across the interrogation room as the steel wall between the cell and the room slid shut.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Captain Anderson stood on the bridge of the Normandy, staring out the windows of the bridge with his hands held behind him. Around him, the bridge was filled with activity as Alliance soldiers, still getting used to flying the large Lowardian ship around the Earth at incredible speed, urgently passed messages to one another on statistics, configuration, and power levels. To the right were a number of helmsmen watching the one designated pilot gently nudge the nose of the ship to point in the directions the sciences team were telling him the enemy was coming from. To the left was a giant holographic map showing the positions of the dozen ships around the Normandy, taking up formation.

It was a last minute decision, but one Anderson supported, to put the Normandy out in front of the fleet. He had the most experience nearly a week flying in space, and the Normandy was far and away the largest ship they had. The ExoSim based cruisers were tiny compared to the Normandy, and even the ISS in orbit to the south looked small in comparison. Putting their 'flagship' at the front was a show of force, in the hopes that the enemy would choose not to fight such a powerful looking defense. It was a feint, of course, but one that was worth trying.

"Enemy ships on screen," reported the navigator, an older man named Pressley.

Anderson looked up to see the three dots barely visible against darkness of space. "Can we magnify that?" he asked.

Pressley turned his head to consult with a group of officers at the rear scanning stations. "We can put it on the map screen," he finally said.

The holographic map shrunk and a large window took its place showing the three ships coming towards them. They all bore some resemblance to the Normandy, being rectangular with only a slight curve and a few protrusions to the sides. There were two ships about the same size flanking a larger ship that was nearly twice as big.

Most of the chatter on the bridge quieted as they stared at the screen.

"Okay, so she's a bit large," said Anderson, expecting the reaction from his crew. "But we've got superior numbers."

"Captain," interrupted Pressley. "It's bigger than you think. Put the scaled view up, Adams."

The picture of the three ships suddenly turned to wireframes and the large ship was lined up at the nose with one of the ships beside it. Then a new ship appeared that was a little more than a third as large as the smaller ship. A tag appeared beside the new ship that said NORMANDY.

"The enemy lead ship is almost six times larger than us," said Pressley.

The graphic changed again and tiny ship was added at the bottom, looking no bigger than a dot. It was labeled 'Alliance ExoSim Ship.'

Anderson stared.

"Well, it'll be a quick battle, then," said the pilot.

"Now isn't the time for jokes, ensign," said Pressley.

"If not now..." trailed off the joker.

A new screen appeared beside Anderson's chair showing a black square with a glowing blue light in the center. "Anderson-captain," said the voice of Legion. "Based on information in the Lorwardian databases, the lead ship is called the Ascendant, and is one of three Interdictor class ships in record. These are capital ships estimated to hold between seventy-five to two hundred troops. The two other ships are unregistered, but are Torvalis-class destroyers. Crew compliment: fifty-seven. Total combined troop count between one-hundred-and-eighty-nine and three-hundred-and-fourteen."

"Thank you, Legion," said Anderson. "I'll inform the rest of the Alliance." He hesitated and then decided to venture, "Can I ask where the Kepler is right now?"

"You may ask," replied the glowing light and then the screen vanished.

"Hmph," grunted Anderson.

"Oh, so the _robot_ gets to joke," complained the pilot.

"Captain, the vessels are within range," said Pressley, consulting a screen over the shoulder of a science officer.

"Get me Alliance Command," Anderson replied.

*** [ ME / KP ]

The Alliance Command Bunker was buried deep within NORAD at Silver Springs, Colorado, and was filled with the top brass of the Alliance as well as members of the US and Canadian governments. Fleet Admiral Hackett sat at the center of the circular table and looked at the screen in front of him showing Captain Anderson aboard the Normandy. Around the room many monitors had been set up to display the current fleet and ground troop positions and a centrally located projected screen showed the three enemy ships rapidly approaching Earth.

"Captain, are you ready?" asked Hackett to the screen.

"As ready as we'll ever be," said Anderson.

Hackett nodded and looked across the table. "Commander, are you sure the intel you got from our prisoners is reliable?"

Dr. Director nodded. "Yes, sir. They're stubborn but nothing about their behavior implies what happened was an act. I think it's the truth. These ships are on a crusade."

Hackett nodded. He pressed a button next to the screen in front of him which sent his voice out to everyone who could hear. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish we could have united under better circumstances, but it will be our greatest shame if we allow our culture to be extinguished on the cusp of turning it into something better. I know that we have a lot of unknowns on our hands, and you aren't eager to be involved in yet another dire conflict, but the situation is out of our control. We face an enemy that thinks we are a threat to their faith, and we know that the drive to protect your beliefs is one that commands unparalleled power.

"But we also have a faith, one that says we deserve a greater fate than this. And if we are to succeed, we will have to wield that confidence like a blade and use it to protect ourselves and this planet in the face of terrible odds."

Hackett looked up at the screen showing the fleet in orbit of Earth. "I have faith that we can do this. I only ask that you believe in me long enough that I can show you how." He looked down at the screen showing Captain Anderson. "Open communications with the enemy ships."

"Aye, sir," said Anderson. There was a pause, then he nodded.

"Approaching ships," Hackett said loudly. "This is Admiral Hackett of Alliance Command. Cease your approach to our planet at once or we will be forced to fire upon you. If you wish to send an emissary to establish diplomatic communication, we will transmit coordinates of a neutral location on the fourth planet of this system."

Hackett folded his hands and waited. The rest of the room kept their eyes on the screen showing Captain Anderson as he also waited.

It seemed like hours passed in the three minutes of silence.

"Incoming transmission," said Anderson.

There was a low humming noise and then a woman's voice crackled through the speakers repeating the Normandy's signal.

"Admiral Hackett," said the voice. "This is Ironlord, Vanguard of the Gairm Choir, Signatory of the First Sword."

Then there was a pause.

"I will be sure to look for your body in the wreckage to take a trophy."

Then the communication ended.

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: And here's more or less where we're starting to intersect with the larger Mass Effect mythos. Obviously the Lorwardians depicted in Kim Possible were fairly one-dimensional and entirely undefined. So I gave them some culture, and placed them within the context of the Council races. And gave Warmonga a brain. Sorry. I know I'm not consistent with Warmonga's characterization from the series, but... uh, I guess I just have an issue writing such simple-minded people. I also wanted to have a sympathetic Lorwardian character since Ironlord is going to be our principal villain for the First Contact War._

_Anyway, more to come._


	8. Chapter 8: Devistation

*** [ KP / ME ]

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 8: Devastation**

*** [ KP / ME ]

The world was loud and blurry and man did it involve an incredible headache.

"-ptain?"

The throbbing behind his ears was worse than a migraine. It was like a migraine that had gotten so bad it gained sentience and then had a migraine of its own.

"Captain?"

Something was happening in the blurry, painful, loud world and Anderson figured if he paid enough attention to it, maybe he could distract himself from the migraines.

"Captain! Wake up!"

The world snapped into focus around David Anderson, and he lifted his heavy head from the deck plating. There was a cheek-shaped impression of blood on the floor in front of him but it wasn't excessive. Even if it was his blood, he wouldn't be bleeding out.

He got to his hands and knees and turned his head to look in the direction of the annoying voice.

"Report, Ensign," ordered Anderson.

The pilot who was cracking jokes earlier looked dirty. He was covered in sweat and soot and looked to be slightly bleeding at his temple. The windows in the front of the bridge had been shut, the emergency blast doors had been activated, so he was piloting the ship entirely using the tactical display on the hologram in front of him. He didn't seem to mind, much. He also seemed to be one of three people who weren't a bloody mess on the floor.

"Welcoming back to the living," said the Ensign. He gritted his teeth suddenly as he leaned in his chair, sliding his fingers across a holographic surface.

"Just give it to me straight," said Anderson. "No time for anything more."

"Yeah, okay," the Ensign shook his head. "That big daddy ship just made us look like chumps and his little baby ships are doing a bang up job chasing down and murdering our escort."

"How the hell did things get so bad?" asked Anderson.

"This wasn't exactly an unstoppable force encountering an immovable object," said the Ensign. "Once the opening volley took out half of Gold wing it was pretty clear where this was going." He turned in his chair again as he slid his fingers over the console.

"We're being pursued?" asked Anderson as he got to his feet and hobbled over to the pilot.

"Yeah, one of the two smaller buggers is after us," said the Ensign. "The other one is chasing Blue wing." He shook his head. "Hackett made the order to retreat, Blue wing volunteered to be the distraction."

Anderson felt a pain in his chest. "Thompson," he muttered.

"What's left of Gold wing is escorting us, but it's not making much of a difference," said the Ensign. "And I don't know where papa bear went. Long range sensors are down."

Anderson scanned the bridge. Most of the crew was on the floor, certainly those who weren't sitting during the first attack. Of those that were in chairs, half were on the floor and moving slowly, while others were furiously slamming their fingers on the flat tactical and diagnostic consoles.

"Where's Pressley?" asked Anderson.

"I had Lieutenant Jenkins take him down to sickbay," said the Ensign. "He took a head dive into a bench when the inertial dampeners hiccupped. Looked pretty bad."

_"You_ had Jenkins take him to sickbay?" asked Anderson.

"I was a little too busy to do it myself," said the Ensign with an eye roll.

Anderson blinked. "What was your name again, Ensign?"

"Moreau, sir," said the pilot. "Jeff Moreau."

Anderson put his hand on the pilot's shoulder. "Ensign Moreau, put as much distance between us and the Ascendant as possible."

"Trying to," grunted Moreau.

"Do it," insisted Anderson. "There's a backup plan and we don't want to be around when it starts."

*** [ KP / ME ]

"Enemy ships are approaching the red line."

In the Alliance Command bunker at NORAD, Admiral Hackett nodded to the woman also in admiral's garb to his left. She picked up a phone and spoke quietly into it. He then turned his attention across the table.

"Commander Director, your option may be necessary," said Hackett. "There's no sense holding back if they make it within atmosphere."

Dr. Director nodded from her position. "We're ready to deploy along with the drones. They can be on the ground within minutes of the order."

"The strike team is ready, sir," said the Admiral holding the phone. She handed it off to Hackett.

"Grissom, I'm giving the order," said Hackett into the receiver. "Target the lead ship."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Rear Admiral Jon Grissom stood holding a corded phone besides the communications station in his decidedly smaller bridge than Captain Anderson's. He looked over his shoulder at the single helmsman and nodded.

"Take us towards the big one on my mark," he said.

"Aye, sir," said the woman at the helm. "Course laid in."

Grissom watched the screens dimly light up around him, giving some detail to the wedge shaped room containing himself, the helmsman, two tactical officers, his executive officer, and the three squad leaders. They all were watching through the glass windows at the battle raging on beyond the International Space Station that they, as well as three other ships, were hiding quietly beside.

"We're ready, Admiral," Grissom said into the phone. "As soon as they're at safe range, we'll move in."

"We're not waiting for them to get away," said Hackett. "We can't let them get into the atmosphere or the collateral damage will be enormous."

Grissom swallowed. "Very well, sir."

"We're launching now," said Hackett. "Begin your approach."

With only a moment's hesitation, he hung up the phone and turned to his crew. "We're going in. Contact the other ships. Everyone is to do a burst and then go dark. We'll try to sneak close to the Ascendant."

"What about defenses?" asked one of the squad leaders, a woman named Sanders.

Grissom shook his head and pointed out the forward windows. "You can see for yourself, the shields barely make a difference. We're better off trying to look like another low orbit satellite until we're within range."

The helmsman pressed several buttons on her console and then gripped onto a control stick. She waited expectantly for the Admiral's order.

A minute later the XO finished talking with the other ships in hiding and reported everyone was ready.

"Go," Grissom said to the helmsman and the ship lurched forward. The crew grabbed the handholds on the walls and ceilings as the ship quickly bobbed around one of the stalks of the ISS and set a direct course for the huge enemy ship. Then, with a brief shake, the ship's engines shut off and the small craft flew on inertia. In the port holes on either side of the ship the silhouettes of three other wedge ExoSim ships were quietly flying nearby.

Grissom held his breath as they drifted through space.

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim put her hand to her mouth as she and Shego watched the tactical display in front of Wade as it showed the ongoing battle with the Lorwardian ships. They were in the computer room of the Kepler, the largest area of the ship and filled with servers and monitors connected by neatly bundled rows of cabling that ran beneath the floor panels. Wade had created the room for his use but had increased the size at Legion's request, integrating more systems with the ExoSim that was used to rebuild the ship from the original Kepler, and giving them vastly more computational power. An alcove was built for Legion in this room as well where he could more easily interface with the core and, if necessary, perform maintenance on his platform. Legion was in his node at the moment, silently standing in coffin-like apparatus with his head slightly bowed.

"So many people..." Kim said sadly as she watched the lights representing the ExoSim ships slowly go out one at a time.

Shego shook her head. "It was a gutsy move, lining up like that. Made them sitting ducks."

A blue orb appeared on a nearby screen. "Alliance fleet strength is insufficient to overcome Lorwardian interdictor-class defenses, regardless of their configuration. It was, as you indicated, a feint."

"Not a very good one," said Shego. "They just got their asses handed to them and the Normandy is in retreat."

"Normandy does not appear to be the focus of the strike," informed Legion. The screen shifted and began focusing on a series of lines erupting from the American Midwest and arcing upwards into space.

"Are those...?" started Shego.

"Missiles?" finished Wade, his eye widening.

"Silo-launched missile configurations match information we have indexed on the LGM-30 Minuteman InterContinental Ballistic Missile," said Legion. "A nuclear weapon with a 1.2 megaton yield. We are detecting twenty-five launches."

"Woah," said Kim.

"Okay, maybe that'll do something," said Shego.

"Unable to determine," said Legion. "Indexed data states these weapons are not designed to target objects in space. Modifications must have been made with parameters we do not have as data. Lorwardian zero-mass shielding is designed for particle weapons, however ballistic weaponry may be effective, if point defenses do not disable them prior to reaching their target."

"You should just shrug, you know," said Shego, shaking her head.

Legion shrugged behind them in his alcove.

"We have to do something," said Kim.

"Our ship to ship capabilities are pretty bad," said Wade. "The Kepler wasn't designed for combat and even the ExoSim design Legion made for us only has the barest combat essentials. Small wattage particle weapons. Rail guns. Nothing like a nuke."

Shego nodded. "We talked about this, if we're going to be effective, it's going to be against those drones or the troops."

"What if they just bomb us from orbit?" said Kim.

"Historical documents in the Normandy's computer indicate they will not," said Legion. "With the size of the Earth and its distributed population, ground combat is more much effective than a orbital bombardment. Since Earth has comparatively poor defenses, they have no reason not to launch a surface assault."

"You meant they _think_ we have poor defenses," said Shego.

Legion said nothing.

"I don't like where this is going," said Shego. "Maybe we should, I don't know, try to board their ship or something. Like we did the first time around." She paused. "With this very ship, in fact."

"An earlier version of this ship," said Wade.

"Whatever," said Shego. "Can we get in close?"

"You saw what happened to the rest of the ExoShips, right?" asked Wade.

"We have a much better pilot," grinned Shego, pointed her thumb at her chest.

She looked at Shego. "We can't risk everyone's life on the Kepler doing something dangerous."

"Uh, Princess, this _whole thing_ is dangerous," said Shego. "There's nothing going on right now that will guarantee we survive this battle. If you have a problem bringing your friends and your little brothers into a direct assault maybe we _shouldn't have brought them aboard!_"

"I tried!" complained Kim. She did, too. She absolutely didn't want her family with her, especially her way-too-young brothers. But they insisted, and then showed up on launch day despite not being invited. She had argued it was hero business, but _they_ had argued they did fine when they boarded and took over the Normandy. "You were no help, if I recall!"

"Hey, I suggested kicking them out the airlock," Shego said while crossing her arms.

"Ugh!" grunted Kim. "Okay, what are our options right now?" She looked at the screen. "When will those missiles hit?"

"At their current rate, seven minutes," said Wade.

Kim wrung her hands. "Maybe in the chaos we can sneak aboard, even if the missiles are destroyed, we could take over one of the smaller ships and use it against the larger one."

"Why not take the larger one then?" asked Shego. "I'm not sure we should be building up to better targets."

"Enemy troops outnumber us six to one on the destroyers," said Legion. "They outnumber us thirty to one on the Ascendant. Success is more likely on the smaller ships, if it's possible at all."

"Hmph, I guess," said Shego. She shrugged. "Let's do it. Worked last time."

"Last time you lost the Kepler," said Wade. "We should try to prevent us from getting in such a position this time." He rubbed his chin. "We'll find an exterior hatch and use magnetic clamps to keep us attached to the hull. That way if we need to make a fast getaway we aren't stuck."

"Does that 'fast getaway' include waiting for us to get out of the ship," said Shego. "Because I don't like a plan that leaves us stranded."

"Too bad," said Kim. "This is your idea, so if we're doing this, we'll have to take that risk."

"Then, just the two of us again?" grinned Shego.

"We don't have this ship full of allies for nothing," pointed out Kim. "Let's see who's willing to join." She turned to head towards the aft of the ship.

"Kim," Wade called out before she was out of sight. "Should _you_ really be going? You're kind of our leader here. If something happened to you, who leads everyone else?"

"Me, of course," said Shego.

Wade looked at her with a frown. "You're going _with her_!"

"Oh, right," smiled Shego.

Kim nodded toward Wade. "It's your ship now, you're in charge."

Wade's eyes went wide. "I-I don't know – if I can..."

"Just plan and execute," said Kim with a kind smile. "You can do it. You've always been the one with the ideas, just tell some of the others instead of just me. "

"Will they listen?" asked Wade.

"They're kind of stranded in space," said Kim. "If they don't, they really have no place else to go. Just be confident."

"I suppose," said Wade.

Kim continued on her way out the aft door of the computer room. Shego similarly left out the forward door towards the cockpit. A few seconds later, Legion stepped out of his alcove.

"This unit shall accompany them," said Legion.

"What? No!" said Wade quickly. "I need you here."

The panels on Legion's head articulated upwards. "This unit does not provide any strategic advantage being isolated here. Aboard an enemy vessel, we can attempt cyber-warfare or support the strike team directly in combat. Contact can also be maintained with the Kepler through the Kimmunicator."

"But... what if something happens to you?" asked Wade. "You've been captured by the Lorwardians before."

"This unit was not operating with support during the initial capture," said Legion. "Also, we did not anticipate being a target in the location we were captured. Neither of these facts is true in the current situation. It is also likely that if Possible and Shego do not return from this attack, then the probability of this unit providing measurable support to the war effort will be reduced by an order of magnitude. Capture or destruction of the enemy vessel will have the greatest impact on enemy combat strength."

Wade looked uneasily up at Legion's glowing face. "You've helped us so much, and there is still more we need to learn from the Geth."

"There will not be sufficient time to develop our technologies on Earth if the Lorwardian attack is not slowed in this initial confrontation," stated Legion. "We must take this risk to protect humanity."

Wade looked down. "Well, when you put it that way..." he trailed off. Then his eyes rose up to look at the glowing blue orb. "Just be careful, please."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim put her hands on her hips and looked at the line of people who volunteered. She was surprised, actually, given that there was risk they would be stranded, she expected only the ... slightly crazy to join her and Shego. But most had volunteered. Enough, in fact, that she had to pick who would come and who would stay. Which was not an easy decision.

Dementor and Motor Ed were in, just on their talents alone. Both had been decent fighters and were smart enough that they could follow complicated directions should the need arise. Given the hundreds of unknowns facing them in the ship, versatility was key.

Her brothers were out. Not the least because as leader of this team, she couldn't afford to be distracted constantly by their presence. They were smart, but they were young, and they had no place on an attack team.

Hirotaka was in, his skill and speed was possibly better than Kim's with his Yamanouchi training, though he had proven to be a bit of a loner and might chafe slightly in a team.

Yori, arguably a better team player, was out because... because Kim was having a hard time dealing with her questions about Ron, the Monkey Power, and the silent implication that somehow she was responsible for Ron's condition. Yori had never – would never – state such a thing, but Kim felt it anyway. It was distracting. She couldn't deal with it on this team.

Which left a few stranger choices before her.

"Really, Bonnie, what are you doing here?" asked Kim, frankly.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she replied, in a surly manner. "You think you get to hog all the heroism?"

"No, I just don't expect it from you," said Kim, folding her arms. She was already sure she wasn't going to take _Bonnie Rockwaller_ with her, but she had to ask the questions, it was killing her not to.

"_Start_ expecting it," Bonnie said.

"This isn't some cheer practice, we're going to get shot at," said Kim.

"You think I'm so dumb I don't know that?" said Bonnie. "You think I have no _idea_ what you do all the time? The running off to get captured and then escape? The ridiculous people you fight? You are _all over the news_, Kimmie, and it's impossible to avoid it."

"Fair enough," said Kim. "But, again, what are you doing here?"

"Why do I have to have a reason?" asked Bonnie. "I'm here to help save the world. It's rather important to me. A few people I know live there."

"It's not funny," said Kim.

"Neither is this conversation," groaned Bonnie. "Look, what do you want from me? And affidavit saying I'm here to help and not stab you in the back? Even though I've NEVER been so underhanded before?"

"It might help," said Kim, skeptical.

"You seriously group me in with your villains, don't you?" asked Bonnie.

"I..." Kim started and hesitated a bit. Did she really do that? No, of course not, she didn't view Bonnie the same was as Drakken or Senior Senior Senior or Sheg—well, maybe a bit like Shego. "... don't," she finished lamely.

"Uh-huh," Bonnie said, unimpressed.

"It's dangerous," Kim pointed out.

"So's being in a pyramid with you at the top," said Bonnie.

"This isn't cheerleading," said Kim.

"No kidding," nodded Bonnie. "You really don't have a good reason not to take me along."

"I'm trying to think of one," commented Kim.

"Cope," said Bonnie. "I don't like you, and you don't like me. But I'm just as fast and strong as you, and you need all the help you can get."

Kim bit her lip as she searched her brain for a counter to that argument.

"Alright, you're in." Kim turned to see Shego walking up. "You two can kiss and make up later, we don't have time now. If she wants to be cannon fodder, let her." She looked out one of the small portholes in the passenger section. "We're chasing behind one of the smaller ships to try and hide our approach."

Kim and Bonnie moved over to the tiny window and peered through. Given the angle of the windows, they couldn't see anything. "Which one?"

"The one chasing the Normandy," said Shego. "It's a little tougher but we might be able to help Anderson get away. Legion says we should be within range of the mag clamps in five minutes."

"And the nukes?" asked Kim.

"We _should_ be outside of their blast radius," said Shego. "Who knows, though."

Kim sighed. "Well, either we are, or this will be the shortest offensive of all time."

*** [ KP / ME ]

Aboard the Lorwardian Interdictor-class Ascendant, Ironlord sat sideways on her chair, her head leaning against her palm, as she watched the tactical display in front of her. Beyond the transparent screen, she could she large planet 'Earth' taking up most of the window at the front of the bridge. It was a pretty planet, mostly aquatic but with enough land to break up the monotony. Unfortunately it was proving to be no fun at all.

Crow, the whelp at the console to the right and ahead of her, turned his head to look back at his master. "The enemy is in full retreat," he said. "No damage reported from any of our ships."

"Of course not," said Ironlord, looking bored. "Did they really think a captured scout ship and some fighters were going to turn away the most distinguished ship in the fleet?"

"At least we know where the rebel's ship ended up," pointed out Crow.

"A laughable situation," snickered Ironlord. "To think those thieves were overrun by these rodents, flying triangles." She sighed. "A curious design, but meaningless in the end."

"Shall I request their surrender?" asked Crow.

"Of course not," Ironlord shook her head. "This Alliance stole from us, and tried to attack me with a ship from our own fleet. That insult will be repaid. Destroy the remaining ships and prepare to launch the walkers. Send the Relentless and the Sunspire to the surface, target the most populated cities and decimate them."

"This species cannot possibly defend against us," said Crow. "Do we need to destroy them? They could become a vassal state to the Lorwardian Empire—" he suddenly leapt from his seat urgently and screamed as he shook.

Ironlord sat up with her fist pressed to a button on her command chair. Her teeth were gritted as she glared at Crow. "I don't want to hear your opinion, whelp!" she shouted before finally releasing the button. Crow collapsed into a heap in his seat and shuddered uncontrollably, struggling to even raise a hand to touch the console in front of him.

Ironlord pressed a button her chair which brought up a communications screen. "Relentless, continue pursuit of that stolen ship and blow it to bits!" Then she swiped her hand across the floating screen. "Sunspire, target the most densely populated area and bombard it before making your descent to invade." She then swiped the screens away.

"Whelp!" she shouted. "Launch the transports and the walkers."

Crow turned slowly in his chair as he tried to sit up. "Nnngguuuu," he babbled.

"Now!" said Ironlord.

Slowly, he put his hands on the back of his chair and looked up dramatically at the tactical display to Ironlord's left. Instinctively, Ironlord turned her head towards the screen. She frowned as she pointed at the series of small dots approaching the Ascendant from the planet.

"What are those?" she demanded.

Crow wiggled his arm and slid it across his console surface. The tactical display then zoomed inwards to show the collection of twenty or so objects. They were long, cylindrical devices with solid rockets.

"Missiles?" asked Ironlord with a raised brow. "Launched from their surface? How amusing." She slowly narrowed her eyes as she stared at them closely. They were big. Larger than any missile had a right to be that launched within a planet's gravity. Why were they so big?

"Activate the variable cannons," she said, looking at Crow, who was still having trouble keeping his own mass upright. She growled and then got up from her chair. She stomped over to Crow's position and jabbed at the controls in front of him. A screen appeared showing the point defenses activating.

A loud tone sounded and she looked down at the smaller tactical display on Crow's console. It showed the missiles suddenly breaking apart, then immediately replaced with over a hundred even smaller objects that suddenly accelerated as they swarmed the front of the ship.

As the guns began firing, some of the objects were being destroyed but it was quickly apparent that the forward guns weren't going to catch them all before they reached the ship.

She turned her head toward Crow. "What is inside those missiles?" she demanded. The whelp looked confused and shook his head. "Will the shields stop them?"

Crow looked down at the display and then shook his head. "Thuuu thlow," he said with a swollen tongue.

"What?" demanded Ironlord. She grabbed him at the collar and shook him violently.

"Too ssssssslow!" he repeated, slightly clearer.

There was a shrill alarm and then the ship lurched violently as everything exploded around them.

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a hard time deciding how to depict this conflict, whose perspective I'd use and how much I'd skip. Ultimately, I'm not a war nerd, so my tactical knowledge is very limited, especially in theoretical situations like space combat. I'm much more of a character-focused writer, so I will probably be skipping combat where possible to center attention on the people in this conflict. Since it's going to be a long one, there is a lot of space to cover._


	9. Chapter 9: Spiraling

Dawn had been hours ago but the sky turned red as if the sun had decided to rise in the west. The blanket of clouds above glowed a deep amber orange color, battling with the blue skies around the true sun in the east. The sight was completely unseen before, and everyone who was outside stopped to take out their cell phones or cameras to snap a picture of the bizarre sky. And as they pulled out their devices, they found them off and reluctant to turn on again. Around them cars of all sizes and ships ground to a halt in the road and all the traffic lights went dark.

Then small motes of blue light began to fall like snowflakes blown in from over the Pacific Ocean. They flared briefly when they landed on something, and left a brief warm feeling on skin.

He watched the panic begin to start. People had been warned, but like any message, some just weren't interested in listening. Those that hadn't seen the TV reports, the newspapers, the internet articles, they numbered in the millions, and they were starting to cause a riot. Maybe if there was a way to get a broadcast out to everyone, the government could try to institute control, calm people down a little.

But that wasn't possible. The entire western seaboard had gone just dark all at once. Electro-Magnetic Pulse is what the experts had called it; the opening salvo in a battle that was already not going in their favor if they needed it at all. The Alliance hadn't tried to cause a blackout, it was just the side effect of over a dozen nuclear weapons detonating in orbit all at once.

That meant the triage had to be word of mouth. There was a lot of work to be done.

"Alright," yelled the Sergeant in front his unit of the 40th Infantry Division of the National Guard. "Our charge is crowd control! You have your individual orders. We need to keep the people calm, safe, and informed. Division outposts are stationed in each city and emergency bunker locations have been distributed."

The sergeant shook his head. "This is going to be a long, long, battle. We need endurance, not sprints. Keep the people calm, and may find our way through this with minimal casualties. Does everyone understand their orders?"

Kaidan Alenko shouted loudly. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Then move out!"

*** [ KP / ME ]

**What If We Don't Graduate?**

(A Kim Possible / Mass Effect Crossover)

**Chapter 9: Spiraling**

*** [ KP / ME ]

Grissom let go of his vice-like grip on the chair in front of him and looked around the bridge. A few of his people had fallen to the floor but were climbing back up and the others were shaken but otherwise alright. He leaned over the chair of the pilot and checked to make sure she wasn't concussed.

"Admiral," said a voice behind him and he turned to see one of his squad leaders, the one named Sanders, talking to him. She was looking at one of the two additional multipurpose displays on the small bridge. It was tactical map with a huge black section on it.

"What's our status?" asked Grissom.

"We're off course but diagnostics report we're mostly functional," said Sanders. "Integrity field holding, radiation levels normal, and no hull breaches. We lost one of our maneuvering thrusters and it looks like the comm-sats are not available. We may not be able to talk with Alliance Command for a while."

"Give me a direction and I'll get us back on target," said the pilot, wearily.

"We may want to hold off on that," said Sanders. She pointed at the map. "There is debris everywhere, we may get caught up in it and take damage, or start the Kessler effect if it hasn't already."

"Kessler effect?" asked Grissom.

"It's a theory," explained Sanders. "Because there's so many objects in orbit of Earth there is the possibility that an explosion could cause a chain reaction of collisions that would nearly cover LEO with debris, making it impossible to launch ships without crashing into part of it. Given the relative velocities involved, even small pieces of waste could be catastrophic to a launched ship or even our existing satellites. Unless they have deflectors like the ExoSims and the Normandy."

Grissom looked at the woman skeptically. "Where did you say you were from?"

Sanders smiled. "Royal Australian Air Force, sir."

Grissom nodded appreciatively. "So we're okay?" he asked. "Because of the deflectors?"

"From _debris_ we are, but if the Kessler effect has triggered, we're not going to get much surface support," said Sanders.

Grissom shook his head. "We can't do anything about that now. Did we damage the capital ship?"

"Possibly," said Sanders. "The Ascendant is still on tactical, but one of the two escort ships is gone. Either she's going down into the atmosphere, was destroyed by the nukes, or she's somewhere in there." She pointed at the large black hole in tactical display.

"What is that?" asked Grissom.

"Radiation and fallout, I think," said Sanders. "The very basic sensor package built into this ship is going bonkers trying to penetrate it."

"Shouldn't it be disbursing?" asked Grissom as he frowned. "Why is it staying there?"

Sanders shrugged. "Something is influencing it. It's partially overlapping with the Ascendant, maybe that has something to do with it."

Grissom looked back at the helmsman. "Turn the ship towards the Ascendant again. Let's just use our eyes, shall we?"

The pilot pulled the controls gently to the side as the stars in the forward windows moved, slowing changing the angle the ExoSim was pointed in. Eventually the large Lorwardian capital ship came into view.

A small chunk of the ship was simply missing. The corner of the rectangular vessel closest to the Earth had a jagged edge where a roughly hemispherical portion had been destroyed, exposing some of the deck layout within. The exposed edge shimmered with a blue light that flared up as small pieces of the debris that had broken away bumped against it.

A short distance away from the broken nose of the ship was a fairly large chunk of one of the destroyers that was previously flanking the capital ship. Less than half probably remained, and what was there was dark and drifting in orbit, slowly moving away from the perceived center of the blast and falling towards the Earth. Distantly, the trail of the other destroyer could be seen still chasing the Normandy in a northerly direction.

"That's better than I hoped," said Grissom. "But probably not good enough to stop a counter-attack."

"Where is that piece of the enemy ship going to fall?" asked the pilot, staring wide-eyed through the windows. "In fact, where is the rest of the ship?"

"I can't tell with the sensors overloaded," said Sanders. "We didn't bother installing backups given how quickly these ExoSims were created." She walked up to the windows and squinted. "Given how high up we are, I'd say maybe somewhere in... the North Atlantic? Close to Europe?"

"Will it burn up in reentry?" asked Grissom.

"Depends on what it's made of," said Sanders. "Even that piece that remains is larger than ISS. I'd say it'll probably still be quite big when it lands."

Grissom turned. "Is there any way to get a message back to Command?"

"Something optical, maybe," said Sanders with a shrug. "If we can cut through the atmosphere, but if they could see our signal they could see the enemy ship."

Grissom sighed. "I guess we just need to hope they're watching and carry on with our mission. Is there a clear route to the ship?"

"With how fast everything is moving out there? I couldn't guarantee you a path," said Sanders, walking back to the tactical display.

"I'll get us through," said the pilot. "It just won't be as quiet as you wanted."

Grissom sighed and crossed his arms. "Let's hope their sensors are just as screwed up as ours. Lieutenant? Give our helmsman the course."

Sanders pressed her fingers into the tactical display and drew a line. Then she walked over to the pilot's chair and leaned over. "Alright, let's see how well this works out." She called up the map on the console. "Can you do that?"

The pilot grinned. "You betcha."

"Is there going to be a 'sir' attached to that, JG?" asked Sanders.

The pilot cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry, sir," she said. She was still smiling.

Sanders patted the pilot on the shoulder. "Get it done." She turned and looked at Admiral Grissom expectantly.

"Go," said Grissom.

*** [ KP / ME ]

_~Mag Clamps Engaged.~_

Kim put a hand to the small radio in her ear and replied. "Got it, Wade. Opening airlock." She looked to Shego, who nodded and pulled open the latch and revealed the short connecting tunnel and the surface of the Lorwardian ship below. There was the barest outline of a door and a keypad, similar to the one they found on the outside of the Normandy two weeks ago.

"You're up, slugger," said Shego as she looked to Legion.

The Geth touched the keypad beside the outline of a door on the Lorwardian ship and began cracking the door code. His mechanical fingers incessantly tapped on the glowing grid like a woodpecker on an aluminum siding. After a few seconds the ticking sound stopped and the keypad flashed twice before releasing the lock on the door.

Kim swallowed and grabbed the handle. With a tug, she slide it to the side and down and the door opened with a hiss of rushing air as the two environments equalized. The sound was almost a whistle it was so loud and she winced, hoping nobody was walking past. As the pressure stabilized she slid the door fully open and jumped inside. Just then the whole ship shook.

With a hand to her ear, Kim spoke quietly and urgently. "What was that, Wade?"

_~The Normandy is firing back at the ship you're on. We may have to detach to avoid getting shot.~_

Kim looked back as Professor Dementor and Motor Ed leapt onto the deck, followed by Bonnie. "We're aboard now if you need to leave."

_~I'll hold off until the last minute.~_

"Be safe," said Kim as she dropped her hand from her ear. "Close the airlock, just in case."

Motor Ed grabbed the handle and flung it closed. The door quietly settled into place and became flush with the walls.

"It is highly probably the opening of the airlock was reported at the ship's command center," stated Legion.

Shego nodded. "Let's scram." She waved her dimly glowing hand and the team of seven quickly walked down the corridor.

The ship's interior was very similar to the Normandy before they had modified it and suggested a consistent design in Lorwardian ships. The signs on the walls were still in what Legion called 'Lorwardian Rix', which meant only the Geth could read them on their team, but they implied they were on the same level as the crew quarters and engineering.

"We should avoid the crew," suggested Bonnie, looking a little pale.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen them yet," said Shego. "Didn't you say there were over fifty of them?"

"Standard deployment is fifty-seven," said Legion. "Given the size of this ship and estimates on livable space, there is one person for every one hundred and seventy three square feet of accessible decking."

"Wow," said Professor Dementor. "'Zis means much of 'za ship is empty."

"And probably monitored," said Kim. "Quickly. Let's see if they have the same power switch in main engineering as the Normandy did."

The team made it only a dozen more steps before the sounds of heavy footfalls began coming from behind them. They broke into a run to try and stay ahead of the sounds and succeeded in coming around a corner to find a group of four Lorwardian's holding extendible spears pointing in their direction and protecting the corridor leading towards engineering.

Shego just grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Finally, some action."

Behind her, Bonnie lifted her hands in a defensive posture. "I could have done without it." Beside Bonnie, Hirotaka pulled out a sword and held it parallel to the ground, braced by two fingers along the blunt edge of the blade.

Legion pulled a modular rifle from his back which extended its barrel as he rose it to his head. Beside him, Motor Ed clenched his fists and Professor Dementor pulled out a large pistol that looked like it had glowing vacuum tubes on either side of the barrel.

Kim gripped a recovered Lorwardian battle spear that she kept from her fight with Warhok and pressed the button on the side that extended it to full size. She twirled it behind her back and held her other arm to the side.

"Let's make this quick," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Before more company arrives." She slightly bowed her head and charged towards the nearest Lowardian. "Go!"

*** [ KP / ME ]

The giant capital ship Ascendant loomed ominously in the forward windows of the ExoSim ship. It was so massive they were a rounding error compared it to. Grissom had faced a few bad situations in his career, battles where he was trapped in a bad situation and had no support. Times he had to choose between two terrible options and live with the consequences later. But never had he faced something that could utterly wipe him out without even noticing.

Still, he was a leader and now an Admiral, so he kept himself composed.

"Still no movement from the enemy?" Grissom asked.

"None that we can see," said Sanders. She and most of the three squads on the ship were now crowding around the windows trying to get every possible angle on their approach. With the sensors effectively dead thanks to the radiation and whatever it was that had left the blue balls of light scattered among the debris, they had to use the most basic sensors available to them: their eyes.

"What about our other ships?"

An ensign named Williams spoke up from the other side of the bridge. "They're still keeping pace, sir."

The pilot spoke up again. "I'm getting an alert from the shields," she said. "They're deteriorating."

"What?" said Sanders as she rushed over to look at the pilot's console. "Is it because of the radiation?"

"Sir," yet another ensign called out from the very front of the bridge. "There's some strange glowing out front."

"That's where the shields are failing," said the pilot.

Sanders walked over and stepped in beside the ensign. She watched the crackling energy form a circle that was expanding outwards and away from the ExoSim. She cocked her head to the side. "I think we're passing through the enemy's shields," she said. "Must be causing a reaction."

"Will they be able to detect that?" asked Grissom.

"_We_ did, and I can't imagine they have anything more primitive than what Legion designed into these ExoSims," said Sanders. "On the other hand, the amount of crap flying around here and hitting their shields, they might not notice."

Grissom considered this. "We have to push ahead. We won't get another opportunity like this for a while." He addressed the rest of the crew. "Everyone gear up, get ready to disembark."

The soldiers all saluted and slowly exited the bridge to where the equipment was stowed.

"Not you," Grissom stopped Sanders. "I still need you here."

Sanders nodded in understanding. "We need someplace to disembark to, don't we?"

"You got it," said Grissom. "We need to find an access hatch or a—"

"Sir!" yelled the pilot. "Enemy drones!"

Grissom and Sanders ran to the windows at the alert and looked out. Along the closest side of the ship to them, eight oblong sections of the hull slide aside and black four-legged drones climbed out and began stalking along the surface of the Ascendant.

"Should I back off?" asked the pilot.

"Hold on," said Grissom. His brow furrowed. "Be ready, but don't change our course yet."

The drones walked to the forward corner of the ship where the missing section of hull began. Then two of the drones began reaching out to grab passing debris and welding the pieces onto the edge of the hole. The remaining four drones launched off the edge of the ship and flew into the debris field, passing the edge of the ship's shield with a blue-white flash. Another four drones flew out from the opposite side of the ship and similarly began tracking large pieces of floating metal and collecting.

"They're repairing the ship," said Sanders.

"Or patching it," said Grissom, watching the patchwork slowly form. "It looks like they're not being picky what they're using to seal up the gap."

Then four more drones crawled out of the holes and immediately launched themselves away from the ship and flew dangerously close to the ExoSim ship before flying down towards Earth. Another four from the opposite end of the ship appeared and joined them in their descent.

"That's not good," said the pilot.

Sanders watched the work with fascination, then her eyes drifted back down the side of the Ascendant. "There's our way in," she said, pointing at one of the black oval holes the drones emerged from. "No telling if there's atmosphere, but it's large enough and they must have some form of maintenance access."

"It's worth a shot," agreed Grissom. "Take towards the middle hole, helmsman."

"Aye, sir," said the pilot.

The ship slowly changed its course to head down the length of the Ascendant, sticking as close to the hull as possible to avoid shield contact. With controlled bursts they flew along to the third opening and slowed to guide the angular ship in. As they turned their nose towards the gap, Sanders looked back the way they came. She blinked.

"One of the ships is gone," she said. She walked over to the side portholes and looked through each one at an angle to try and catch a glimpse of the missing ExoSim. "I don't see it anywhere."

"Maybe it's behind us," said the pilot. She quickly pulled on the maneuvering thruster control and spun the ship around slowly to take in the area round them. They found the one ExoSim lining up an entry into the black oval next to them, but the other ship was gone. The nose of their ship pointed back around toward the opening.

"Where did it end up?" asked Sanders.

Grissom shook his head. "Proceed with dock," he said. "Either they'll catch up or there's nothing we can do. Take us in."

The pilot grimaced as she pushed the ship forward again and everything turned dim as she entered the poorly lit opening. She activated some flood lamps that had been attached to the hull back before launch. The opening was cavernous and the lights showed racks of drones lined up on either side going eight deep. Only one of the racks was empty in this hole from the drone they saw depart earlier.

To the port side of their ship small lights came on shining between the racks. It appeared to be the flood lamps from the other ExoSim ship that was still with them. From the gaps in the light projecting from the other hole, it looked like each of the holes the drones emerged from were similarly equipped.

"Six holes on this side, eight drones in each one," said Sanders. She shook her head. "If the ship is symmetrical, that's at least ninety drones. If there are more holes than just the six we saw and the six I presume are on the other side..." she trailed off.

"Given the initial invasion was just two soldiers to twenty drones, it's clear they emphasize the use of drones in combat," said Grissom.

"If they launch these at the planet," started Sanders.

"You can be assured they will if we don't stop them," Grissom cut her off. "Helmsman, see anything?"

The pilot raised a hand and pointed out the forward windows. "It looks like there some sort of a stalk out there, might be a docking tube, or a clamp. I'm taking us closer to look."

Sanders looked back and forth from the windows on either side of the bridge. "There's quite a bit of space here. We should be safe from collision even if they deploy half these drones."

The light from their lamps and the ones of the other ExoSim cast giant jagged shadows across everything, making the blackness between drone racks seem abyssal and menacing.

"This ship is gigantic," said Sanders. "We have little more than sixty troops between the two ships. I don't know how we're going to effectively take control of a ship larger than the sears tower with so few people."

"Legion said these ships are highly automated," said Grissom. "Our target is the bridge, as discussed in the briefing before we launched."

"And if they have a backup bridge?" asked Sanders. "Or an override in engineering? You've seen Star Trek, right?"

Grissom grinned sympathetically. "The time for those sorts of objections would have been yesterday, Lieutenant."

"Sorry, sir," said Sanders. She cleared her throat and pointed at the thick metal beams arcing above the long outcropping they were approaching. "It looks like a rail system to perform maintenance on the drones. They must use this gangway to board them after they've been transferred here to the back. We can use the same feature to get onto the ship."

Grissom nodded. "See if you can our magnetic hatch to line up, helmsman."

"Yes, sir," said the pilot.

Grissom looked at Sanders. "Alright, now we go gear up."

Sanders blinked. "You too... sir?"

"You think I was going to let you have all the fun?" smiled Grissom. He turned and headed out of the bridge as Sanders followed.

Alone in the room, the pilot slumped.

"Alright, I'll just hang out here, then!" she called out. Then added, "Sir!"

*** [ KP / ME ]

Kim jumped over the spear of her attacker, flipping once in the air and landed with a twist to kick the Lorwardian behind the knees. Beside her, Bonnie then launched off Kim's shoulders and latched onto the giant's neck, pulling his chin to the left while yanking on the short ponytail he had to the right. The flurry of activity was clearly bothering the soldier, but he only faltered from the kick instead of falling, and then snapped his head sharply to the side causing Bonnie to fall. Fortunately, Kim helped her land and the two of them rolled away from the follow-up spear strike from the soldier.

"This isn't going well," said Bonnie, keeping her eyes trained on the man with the large weapon. She could hear the sounds of combat around her. Shego was single handedly fighting a burly female Lorwardian that made Warmonga look emaciated while Legion and Professor Dementor were trading shots with another male. Hirotaka was proving to be too fast for one Lorwardian to handle, so the remaining two were concentrating on him, which he was using to his advantage by causing them to stumble over their own efforts to land a blow.

Which should have left Motor Ed free to help out but instead he was tearing up loose pieces of decking and wall panels and flinging them at the five approaching Lorwardians from the crew quarters. They were advancing despite the thrown debris until Ed hit an exposed conduit and nearly electrocuted everyone on the deck. Now they were trying to be more cautious in their approach, but their hesitance wasn't going to last forever.

Shego got a lucky strike in her Lorwardian's gut and then roundhouse kicked her face into the ground. It wouldn't take out the beast but it was at least give her a second to breathe.

"We need to split up," she said after that breath had been taken.

"No way, bad idea," Kim said instinctively. "We're barely managing as it is."

"We've _lost_ this battle, pumpkin!" shouted Shego over the objections. Then she stomped on the spine of the downed Lorwardian and leapt over to triple-team the one Kim and Bonnie were facing. She charged up her fists and laid down a continuous blast of green plasma into the chest of the enemy, forcing him to raise his arms to try to deflect some of the energy. Kim and Bonnie took advantage of the distraction to both kick him in the back and then the two of them swept his legs with the spear held between them. He fell hard into his upper back and received a stomp on the nose from Bonnie.

Shego brushed her hair away from her face where it had become slightly slick with sweat. Bonnie and Kim looked little better, both with hair too long to be easily managed in a battle. She let out a breath and glared at Kim.

"Take one of the brainiacs and go find a way to shut down the reactors," Shego said pointedly. "We'll stay here and buy you time until _we_ gotta retreat too."

"There could be soldiers in engineering too," pointed out Kim.

Shego kicked the woman Lorwardian she was originally fighting, causing her to let out a grunt and fall onto her back. "Then take the _big_ brainiac!" she said, pointed at Motor Ed. "Get out of here before we lose too much ground!"

Kim hesitated and opened her mouth as if to protest, then she frowned and turned without a word. She ran over to Ed and grabbed him by the collar before dragging him down the hall towards engineering. Shego watched them go for a few moment before setting her sights on the two Lorwardians attacking Hirotaka. She charged in while flinging several balls of plasma.

Bonnie swallowed, wondering again what she was getting herself into. There was a reason for her involvement, but it seemed like more and more of an idiotic move as time wore on. Still, there was no time to doubt it now.

She turned and pulled the spears from the two downed Lowardians at her feet then ran over to the center of the corridor where Motor Ed had previously been standing. She quickly twisted each spear to put them into fire mode and then hooked them under each arm. With a breath, she pressed the buttons on both spears, laying down fire down the hall at the gathered Lorwardian troops, forcing them behind cover once more.

She spared one glance back over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Kim and Motor Ed disappearing around a distant corner and found herself in the new situation of hoping that Kim does everything _right_.

*** [ KP / ME ]

The tall drones landed with a colossal crash into the bay and a deafening sound. The back discs then extended their long legs to loom a hundred feet above the surface. Two had landed along the California coastline but only one headed inwards while the other tracked out into the Pacific Ocean.

Kaidan was still shuffling people into shelters when the shockwave from the crash buffeted them, causing many people to lose their footing as they ran, running the risk of small children and the slower people getting trampled. He ran out from the tunnel doors and into the crowd to start helping people up again while the others in his unit shouted at him to return. He ignored them. He was here to help and he wasn't going to watch children get crushed to death by scared citizens.

He heard the screams and shouts as the nearby drone stepped out of the waters and onto the streets. Even at the distance they were at, the sound of each footfall was hideously loud. He helped a series of children up as their parents grabbed them up and continued running into the tunnels. Setting his sights on an older couple, he pushed through the people to try and get to them before they were trampled.

With a crash, the drone burst through a nearby building as it was heading towards the edge of the city, flinging debris and shards of broken glass everywhere. People screamed in terror as it rained down on them, but Kaidan could only see the huge section of falling concrete coming directly towards the running civilians.

Kaidan let out a scream even knowing it was too late for them to run clear and raised his arms instinctively to motion for the people to get clear.

Then he felt a strange tingling all along his skin that trailed up to the base of his spine and bloomed into a shockingly intense pain. He winced as the edges of his vision darkened and then his arms flared up into a dazzlingly blue light. He felt the force explode forward from his palms, knocking people aside and flinging a dozen or so people clear of the falling debris in front of him.

Then glow immediately dissipated while the pain remained and he felt himself fall to his knees before the darkness in his vision enveloped his sight entirely.

*** [ KP / ME ]

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. A combination of real life work with some struggle on whose story I should be focusing on here. There are at least nine separate groups of people that are all impacted by the invasion but I can't just go round-robin style on them or that would get quickly confusing. So, given the nature of this crossover, I'll be putting most of my focus on Kim's group wherever possible, just so I retain my sanity._

_I should note that with the appearance of Kaidan, I'm officially screwing with everyone's birth dates from Mass Effect to better align with the Kim Possible timeline. It was either that, or we never see any of the ME characters. This does create a bunch of confusion, but I'll do my best to resolve it._

_Also, you may be wondering how the hell Kaidan just became a biotic. And the answer is Artistic License - Biology. Also, the explosion of a ship with a massive Eezo core in the atmosphere causing bits of it to fall onto the surface and its inhabitants. He won't be able to control it without an amp, though. We'll get to that later. Much later, I guess..._


End file.
